What The Heart Wants
by BurritoTown
Summary: Rose has always hated Scorpius Malfoy. Even before she met him, her father had drilled into her mind that this blond boy was to be her rival. She never thought that would ever change, until now. My first stab at a multi-chap fic, no flames please!
1. Chapter 1

Rose POV

I woke up early in my room and looked at my calendar. September 1st. I'm finally going back to Hogwarts! Another year of learning, having food that rivals even Grandma Molly's, and great friends. I'm even almost looking forward to seeing my rival, Scorpius Malfoy. During the summer I have been able to come up with many new insults and I can't wait to try them out on his pompous arse.

I climbed out of bed and ran to my trunk, making sure everything was in order. When I was certain I was completely packed and ready, I opened my door. "Let the madness begin," I thought. I went downstairs, not surprised at all to see my mother already at the table, with breakfast on the stove. She's definitely not a morning person, but when she needs to be somewhere she's ready at least a couple hours before hand. My father says it's always been like that, only worse, and that I'm lucky to have only known her after some of his "disorganized charms" had rubbed off on her. I think the fact that she always has to be ready can be annoying, but I'm glad for it because I absolutely WILL NOT be late for anything. EVER. According to the rest of the family I'm the only one who inherited the "perfectionist" Granger genes, while the rest of them got the "hopeless tendency to be late to everything" Weasley genes. I don't think I'm a perfectionist, but I guess in comparison to the rest of the Weasley-Potters, I can see where they get that idea.

"Hey Mom." I said, since she still hadn't noticed me standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Oh, Rose dear, hello, come have some breakfast, oh is your father still sleeping, the lazy bum, okay why don't I go get his sorry arse out of bed? And if I know anything Hugo's still in bed too, well they'll be in an awful hurry, I tried to tell them to go to bed early. Go ahead, sit down, eat while it's hot. I'll be right back."

That's my mom for you, constantly talking, she's a broken record I swear. I'd hate to be my dad or brother in the morning, though, she can be so fierce. That's part of why I'm so intent on getting up early. I heard some groaning and shouting upstairs, followed by the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor. Dad's up. Ish.

After breakfast and the usual rush around to grab everything, we finally were in the car on the way to King's Cross. When we arrived, I was immediately surrounded by cousins, as usual. We all rushed to through the barrier and after a few goodbye hugs, we were off.

I searched the train for my best friends, Paula Finnegan and Mina Thomas. I finally found them with their boyfriends, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander. I have no idea what possessed them to date twins, but I guess the heart wants what it wants. It's kinda weird when I can't tell my best friends' boyfriends apart, though.

Anyway, I opened the door and they all looked toward me. I waved, and causally sat down next to Paula. We began chatting about what we did ovr the summer, until suddenly my cousin Molly peeked her head in the door nervously and motioned for me to come over. Molly is the only Weasley-Potter cousin who is currently in her 5th year, and even though she is still close to all of us, she spends more time with her classmates and we don't see much of her at school. She made prefect this year, which we were all very excited about, especially her father, though he played it off like it was no big deal. "It was bound to happen. I was Head Boy, after all." Uncle Percy really gives me a headache sometimes. Molly whispered to me that it was time for the prefects meeting and we needed to go to the heads compartment. I looked at my watch and was shocked to find that we were very nearly late. I quickly told my friends where I was going and set off with Molly down the train.

Molly and I were chatting animatedly so I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going. About halfway down the train aisle, I slammed into something hard. At first I didn't move, just wondered what I could have bumped into this time, I've always been rather clumsy. Then I noticed that the thing I was standing against was a human chest. Startled, I immediately stepped away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz! I…" I looked up and saw none other than the smirking form of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. "Malfoy! You complete arse! You purposely made me run into you, didn't you? Ugh! Unicorn turds! What do you want?"

"What do you mean? I was just standing here, minding my own business, when somebody just rams into me! And_ I'm_ the arse? How does that POSSIBLY make any sense? You're supposed to be the smart one, too! I think I deserve an apology, don't you think? I mean, it's only the natural response, you started to say it, too. Come on, out with it. I'm listening."

"NO! I will _not _apologize to you. Now if you don't mind, I was on my way to a prefects meeting, so if you could just move out of my way?"

"Oh sure, Weasley. Let me just allow Your Highness to pass."

Annoyed, I quickly shoved past him and stormed angrily towards the Head's compartment.

"Oh and Weasley? I agree. You are a klutz."

I decided to just ignore him. Normally, I would shoot back a witty reply, but this year, I'm one of the older students. This is my second year as a prefect, and it is my job to set an example for the younger students. Also, I need to have as clean a record as possible if I want to possibly make Head Girl next year.

But as I walked away, I couldn't help but wonder, Are all guys' chests so… _warm_? The only guys I had ever been that close to before were just my relatives, and I hadn't felt like that with any of them. I decided to just ignore it. He was probably just full of hot air.

Molly and I continued towards the meeting place. My cousins know that I'm always pissed right after a run in with Malfoy, and they have decided to stay quiet, so as not to send me into a rage. Probably a wise idea. We arrived in the carriage and I went over to sit next to the other Gryffindor 6th year prefect, Ernie McLaggen. I had grown to dislike him last year. He was constantly flirting with me, and it just drove me up the wall. He was okay-looking, and a nice enough guy I guess, but I just didn't connect with him. Eventually I had just flat out rejected him, which caused him to be all moody towards me for the rest of the year. I noticed that all of a sudden he was being rather friendly. He didn't think he had a chance this year, did he? Okay, he had gotten a lot more muscular over the summer, thanks to the hard quidditch training he had told me about, and his good features stood out more. His eyes, easily the best part of his face, seemed to pop out and stare deep into my soul. I guess it could be considered attractive, and most girls found that kind of thing mysterious and intriguing. I, however, just found it kinda creepy. The Head Girl cleared her throat and the meeting began.

The meeting was rather slow, and she announced that we would be doing rounds with the other prefect in our house and year, two teams per night. I planned to talk to McLaggen later about splitting up and each taking half of our part of the castle. Then we would have to do less work, and I would be able to spend less time with him. The meeting ended and, after a brief conversation with McLaggen where I explained my plan to him and he flirted with me until I almost gagged, I headed back to my compartment. We would be arriving soon and I needed to change into my robes.

I grabbed my school robes and hurried to the bathroom. I changed quickly and rushed back to my compartment, but just before I got there something stopped me. Standing in front of me, with an extremely annoying smirk on his face, stood none other than Scorpius Malfoy. Honestly, don't we usually only have one confrontation on the train? And usually, he doesn't come find me. The only thing that keeps my Hogwarts experience less than 100% great is the unfortunate chance meetings with the bastard. I thought he felt the same way, he always told me so, so why was he here waiting for me?

"What do you want, Malfoy?" We were almost to Hogsmeade and I had to get my stuff ready to go.

"Oh nothing, Weasley, nothing. I just noticed that you didn't even _try_ to hurt me earlier. Why is that? Have you finally decided to succumb to my charms? Or have you finally admitted to yourself that I am truly the better person, and therefore you have no right to bother me?"

"Neither, I just thought, what with us being 6th years and me being a prefect, that I should try to set an example for the younger students and be mature about this. I still hate you as much as I always have, I'm simply being the bigger man here. Or in this case, the bigger woman. So why don't you just go back to your little cabin and play with your little Slytherin buddies, kay?" I put on an angelic smile, satisfied with my response.

"Oh, trying to outshine my golden personality now, are you? Well, we'll see how long you last. I know you too well, Weasley. Underneath all that pride, there's a little piece of you that's just yearning to insult the shit out of me. Not that it would work, of course. Now I must go and, how did you say it? Oh yes, 'play with my little Slytherin buddies'. See you around, Weasley." And with that he turned and walked away down the aisle towards his cabin. He pisses me off to no end! Who does he think he is! Oh well, at least I won't see him again for a while since we have to be separated by house for the feast and the first night. If I'm lucky, I might not even see him until Monday classes! I just hope I don't have every class with him again, like last year.

I went back to my compartment and made sure my trunk was in order, and I talked with my friends until the train finally stopped. I hurried out and made sure there weren't any lost and confused 1st years. It's not easy to lose Hagrid, but I remember when I was that small and I couldn't see over the older students. I had to follow Hagrid's voice, which was hard when all the other students were chattering about so many different things. I had wished there was someone there to guide me, so I make sure to try to guide all the 1st years who may be in the same situation I was in. After helping the kids, I met my friends and we grabbed a carriage and headed up to the castle.

The sorting wasn't as entertaining this year since there weren't any Weasley-Potters to sort. I kind of zoned out until the feast. McGonnigal gave her usual start-of-term speech that I swear I've memorized by now, and then the food appeared. I was delicious, as always, but I was eager to just get to bed. It had been a long day, especially with two arguments with Malfoy, and I was really tired. Soon, it was time to lead the younger students to the common room. I told the fat lady the password, and I all but ran up to my dormitory and flopped on my bed, sighing. Paula and Mina were laughing behind me, but I couldn't help it. I loved this place so much, and I was exhausted. I quickly fell into a deep sleep, the last thought that crossed my mind before I was swallowed by blackness was how warm and comfortable I had felt earlier on the train when I ran into Malfoy.

Wait… what?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Yay, next chapter! I didn't think I would update this quickly, but I am absolutely hooked on writing this story! I don't know when my next update will be, but I have a long and empty weekend starting, so I'll have a lot of time on my hands. I will try to not have you guys waiting more than a few days for any new chapters, and if something gets in the way of my writing I'll be sure to warn you guys. **

**Oh, I forgot this last chapter. DISCLAIMER: I am in no way associated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Brothers and therefore have no claim to Harry Potter. *cries***

**Anyway, on with the story.**

Chapter 2

I couldn't believe it. Why did I think that? Oh well. It's nothing. I'll just pretend it never happened. That always worked for me before. I woke up on Saturday morning, glad that term had started on a Friday so we have a whole weekend before classes start. Maybe this will give me time to wrap my head around things. I sat in my bed, thinking to myself for a while, I don't know how long, but eventually Paula and Mina began to stir awake. I wasn't sure if I should tell them about this, so I made no move to wake them completely and kept thinking.

"Hey. Heeyyy! Earth to Rose!" I realized I had zoned out and Paula was shaking me furiously.

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking." I had decided not to tell them. There wasn't really anything to tell anyway.

"About?"

"School, I guess. I'm so glad we're back!" I hoped she wouldn't be able to tell I was lying. She was usually a very good truth-detector, but I have worked on becoming a better liar. Sometimes I don't want to tell her stuff, and I need to be able to keep things to myself.

"O… kay? Why would you be thinking about school on a Saturday? I mean, I know you are a saint when it comes to schoolwork, but not on the weekend! It's social time! Come on!" Crap she knew something was up. I shouldn't have tried. Then Mina announced her presence, she was finally awake.

"Hey guys, what are you talking about? Never mind, I'm starving. Let's get some breakfast." That's our Mina. Just as insightful as Paula, but she doesn't care much for gossip. We agree and get dressed before we leave the dormitory and head down for breakfast.

We finally reach the Great Hall and are overwhelmed by the sound of hundreds of people chattering excitedly, glad to be back and on a Saturday. I walked over to the Gryffindor table to talk to my cousins, and Paula and Mina went to Ravenclaw to get Lorcan and Lysander before coming back over to our table. House tables don't really matter at breakfast and lunch, so even though their boyfriends are Ravenclaws they can sit with us.

Soon Paula immediately went into gear. I could almost see the gears turning in her head as she said, "So Rose, met anybody special over summer break?"

Oh no. She's staring it again. Operation Get Rose A Boyfriend is now in pregress. "No! No Paula! No no no no no! Please don't start this again!" I begged her.

"Oh, relax Rose. It was just a simple question. Which you still haven't answered. Are you hiding something? Am I right? Is there a 'yes' this time? I knew it!" She smiled proudly.

"No, there is not! No guy! Please drop it."

She looked a little put out, but she sadly nodded. Just then, amidst a group of obnoxious Slytherins, I saw him. I don't know why, but as soon as he entered the hall, I had this weird feeling in my stomach, and I couldn't look away. I didn't even want to, which scared me. I decided I needed to start something, then he would yell at me and everything would be back to normal. I searched for anything about him worth insulting, and I noticed his hair was more ruffled than usual. Not very creative, I know, but it was the best I could come up with right now and I was desperate.

"Hey Malfoy! What's with the bed head this morning? Forgot to comb it, or going for the "just got laid" look? A little word of advice, it doesn't work on you." Okay, I led. His hair actually looked really good when it was slightly messy, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I would just inflate his ego more than it already was. Wait, what am I thinking? I hate him, I shouldn't be thinking about how sexy his hair looks, or how pretty his blue-grey eyes are, like the sky right after a light spring rain. Okay, stop it Rose! Back to normal! I smiled angelically and several of my fellow Gryffindors snickered.

"Oi! Shut up, Weasley! What's it to you, anyway? Why do you care what my hair looks like, unless you've finally decided to admit you're in love with me and that my extremely sexy hair turns you on. Sorry Weasley, I'm not interested." Wow. He is _sooo_ annoying. Why does he always try to insinuate that I'm in love with him? The very idea is revolting. I decided that two could play that game.

"Oh, I'm in love with you, am I? Why do you constantly insist that that is the case? Unless you secretly wish it were true. If that is the case, I am very deeply sorry, but I must admit there is nothing about you that I find the least bit appealing. I. Hate You." I know it was stupid, not to mention a lie, but Iwas pissed, and confused. What bothered me though, was that after I said that I thought I saw a flicker of something that looked like hurt cross his eyes. Strange, I didn't think he was capable of human emotions. I must have imagined it. No longer hungry, I stormed out of the hall. Paula and Mina soon followed me.

"Rose, what was that? I mean, you guys always fight, but you've never accused him of liking you. That was always his thing. I admit it was funny, but I never thought you would use that approach. You always said it was disgusting and immature." I sighed, Paula had a point. That was very unlike me.

"I don't know Paula. I was just really angry and I couldn't think of much to say. I have to stop this! I need to stop arguing with him and setting a bad example for the younger students if I ever want to have a chance at making Head Girl next year!" I started to get really angry with myself. Why had I let my emotions cause me to break the vow I had made at the beginning of the year to stop fighting! I had told Malfoy I was being the bigger woman, and turning over a new leaf! I'm such an idiot. Just then, Mina spoke up.

"Rose, you're a shoe-in for Head Girl. You have the best Grades in our year and you're super organized, not to mention you're amazing leadership skills. Do you really think one stupid rivalry is going to ruin that for you? Yes, I agree that you should be more mature, but so should he and really, all of us could use a maturity boost of some kind. You'll be fine. Just try to ignore him, and if that doesn't work, avoid him. The less time you spend with him the less you will want to rip his hair out." Mina was right. I just needed to avoid him. I could get through this year without a hitch if I just pretended he didn't exist. I don't even need to see him at prefect meetings anymore since he was stripped of his badge last year after using so many of Uncle George's skiving snackboxes both to get out of class and to prank first years that old McGonnigal had to raid his dormitory and confiscate all of them, and revoke his Hogsmeade privileges for the rest of the year. Oh sweet justice.

"You're right, Mina. Sorry I freaked out on you guys." I smiled apologetically.

"Oh, you're fine. It's just a little Malfoy Freakout, we're used to it by now. We've know you for five years and it's always been like this. Stop apologizing already!" I grinned at Paula and the three of us walked outside to spend the rest of the day talking by the lake. It was a warm, beautiful day. I didn't think life could get any better, and I wished time would stop and we could spend the rest of our lives sitting by the lake.

Sadly, great moments don't last forever.

**AN: Okay, so I'm not particularly thrilled with this chapter, and I had intended for more stuff to happen, but I couldn't think of a way to continue this chapter and keep the flow. But don't worry, the next chapter will have a lot more action, and I will try to get it up ASAP. Maybe you'll even get it later tonight.**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. IF I DID, I WOULD NOT HAVE TO WORK THIS SUMMER TO EARN THE MONEY FOR MY SCHOOL TRIP NEXT YEAR.**

Chapter 3

After a lovely and mostly Malfoy-free weekend, Monday morning arrived. Ugh. It's not that I didn't like school, I did, but it was the first day of school after a beautiful summer vacation. It was bound to be a downer. I went down to breakfast with Paula and Mina. After we ate, Professor Longbottom began passing out schedules to the Gryffindors. I got mine, and sighed. Sadly, my prayers to have no classes with Malfoy this year weren't answered. My first class was Double Potions with the Slytherins. Groaning, I picked up my bag and headed to the dungeons.

I was pleased to find that Slughorn had managed to take the hint that me and Malfoy could not work well together and had decided not to make us partners this term. How it took him 5 years to figure that out was beyond me, but at least I don't have to put up with him anymore. Classes went by very slowly, but the teachers at least acknowledged that it was the first day back and I only had minimal homework.

After dinner, I went back to the common room to get ready for rounds. Tonight it was the 6th year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs patrolling. The Hufflepuffs were taking the upper floors of the castle, so McLaggen and I had to patrol the lower floors and the dungeons. I decided to take the West side, so I told McLaggen to take the East. The East side had many more classrooms and broom closets, so I hoped he would be kept busy enough that he wouldn't try to find me.

I began walking down the corridors, checking in all the broom closets and classrooms. I didn't understand why we had to do rounds, there was rarely ever a student out of bed and if there was, a teacher was more likely to find them than us.

I continued to walk down the corridors, and suddenly I heard a door close. I looked in the nearest closet, and was immediately pulled inside by a pair of strong arms. I slammed into what I realized was someone's chest, and I immediately felt warm and content. I looked up and saw the face of, you guessed it, Malfoy. I quickly pulled back and was about to tell him off, give him detention, and probably have another stupid argument, but he clamped his hand over my mouth. I widened my eyes, and he whispered, "Shh. Don't say anything. Chastity Brown is after me." I looked at him curiously. "She finds me insanely attractive, which I can understand I mean come on, I'm a god." I rolled my eyes. "But she is always following me, especially after curfew. She grabbed me on the way to my common room and I only just got away. Crap, she's coming!" He immediately shut up and pulled us back against the wall.

"Scorpy! Oh, Scorius darling? Where are you?" The annoyingly high-pitched voice of Chastity Brown was right outside the door. I cringed at the sound. No wonder he was always so moody, all the prejudice against his family was one thing, but this? Pure torture. I was starting to understand him a little more. But that's not to say I don't still hate him, because I do. I just understand him. That's all.

We stayed quiet until Chastity finally gave up her search and pranced away. Scorpius let out a sigh of relief and we left the broom cupboard. I decided to not give him detention, since he was only out of bed because the Hogwarts Whore was chasing him.

"So, I'm a prefect and I am doing rounds. You have ten seconds to get back to your dormitory, otherwise I will have seen you. Go." I gave him a little smile, which he returned, and he ran off in the direction of the Slytherin common room. I watched him go in awe. He could actually be a decent guy when he wasn't shooting nothing but cold-blooded insults at me. Maybe I should keep on this not fighting thing. If I don't provoke him, he might be able to turn over a new leaf as well.

****************************************Saturday**************************************

The first week of school passed by in a blur. I ignored Malfoy as much as possible, and when I did see him, I simply sent over a weak glare. That was nothing unusual, only the tone of it seemed off. It seemed almost mocking, instead of sincere hate. I didn't understand why, but I couldn't manage to be as moody with him all the time. I had been thinking since that Monday night, and the more I thought the more everything made sense to me. I hadn't tried to understand him before. I had just accepted that as the eldest child and only daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, it was my duty to hate him. There was no other reason, but what had been drilled into my head since I was a little girl.

_Seven-year-old Rose POV_

_I walked into the sitting room after school (my mommy insists that my brother and I go to muggle school in the years before Hogwarts, as she insists it helped her do better in her studies) and sat on the couch. My daddy was sitting in his special comfy chair that he keeps in the living room for his personal use only. He told me stories about when he was at Hogwarts. Not the scary ones about the war, my mum and Grandma Molly think all the children are too young to know, and the only one who has managed to get permission to tell us anything id Uncle Harry, and he only told us a few vague stories. No, my daddy's stories were mostly just about classes, good and bad teachers, and people. One person in particular, Draco Malfoy._

"_Now Rosie, I'm going to tell you a story. When I was young, and going to Hogwarts, your mum, uncle Harry and I had lots of friends. But your Uncle Harry also had a school enemy, who your mum and I grew to hate as well. His name is Draco Malfoy, and he was nothing but a no-good ferret-boy coward the whole time we were at school. His father was a Death Eater, and in his sixth year he became one, too. He even tried to kill Albus Dumbledore. That boy was a horrible, cowardly, self-absorbed jerk. And I reckon he still is. Rosie, he has a son. His name is Scorpion, or something. That family has a history of naming their sons after slimy reptiles. That's because they're all evil little Slytherins. And very few good people ever came out of Slytherin House." I nodded along to what he was saying, intent on listening to his story. I found it strange that he never told me anything about the Malfoy boy when my mum was home, though, only when we were alone. It must be something else she wouldn't approve of. _

"_This boy, Malfoy's son, is your age and will most likely be in your year at Hogwarts. Make sure you beat him at everything, don't ever let him get an advantage over you. You have to make sure you come out better than him and show him and his pompous prat of a father that the Weasley's will always beat the Malfoys, no matter how dirty they play. Remember that, Rosie. I love you. Now go play with your brother, he's been missing you."_

_END FLASHBACK_

My father had drilled me nearly every day since then on why I should hate the Malfoy boy, why I should always prove myself better than him. I then realized that my hatred of Scorpius had never had anything to do with him. I had just hated him because my father told me to. Who was he to tell me who to hate and who to be my friends? I decided just then what I was going to do. I was going to end this family feud once and for all and show my father that he was wrong.

Malfoys and Weasleys don't have to be enemies, and I'm going to prove it.

**AN: yay! Another chapter! That's two in one day, I'm doing great. Let's see how long I can keep this up. Hope you guys like this one, I've tried to make it a bit more eventful than the others. I know it's short, but I got everything done. Let me know if you think I'm moving too fast, I just really want to get to the good stuff! I've got this story all planned out middle to end, it's just difficult getting there, so bear with me!**

**Please review, I really appreciate it! It honestly helps me, and keeps me motivated to write more!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Yay, next chapter!**

So, remember when I said I was going to try to break the family feud? Well, easier said than done. I've tried to have minimal confrontation with Malfoy, and to try to be nice, but he pisses me off so much! A few times I've found myself telling him off without even realizing it. Okay, maybe the reason I hate him isn't all my dad's fault. Scorpius certainly played a big role in it, too.

The weekend ended and Monday morning arrived. I had successfully gotten through a week without a single fight with Malfoy. My friends noticed.

"Rose? Are you okay? You haven't said a word about how annoying Malfoy is, how much you hate him, and I don't think you've even insulted him all week!" Darn Paula and her insightfulness.

"I'm ok, Paula. Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to be the bigger person. I need to stop fighting with him, so I'm avoiding him. It doesn't mean that I feel any differently, though. I still hate him." Dang it. I shouldn't have said that last part. She stopped talking, but I could see the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

For the rest of the day, they ignored the subject, but I could see them off in the corner whispering to each other, trying to make something out of a change in me that wasn't there. It kind of annoyed me, but I decided it was best to ignore it. Maybe they would give up if I stopped giving them random comments to work with.

I had a lot of things on my mind. I couldn't seem to forget the feeling of contentment I had when Scorpius had held me in that broom cupboard, and that really boggled my mind. If I hated him, why did I feel so safe and secure when I was with him? I just needed to get my mind off this. I needed a distraction. More specifically, a boyfriend. But who? Of course, McLaggen! Sure, I thought he was a bit weird and obnoxious, but he was nice and kind of handsome and I knew he already liked me. This will be good for me. I'll talk to him tonight, maybe we'll do rounds together this time.

The day passed rather quickly, and soon it was time for rounds. I found McLaggen and told him that we could patrol the dungeons together this time, and I wanted to talk to him. The bloke looked like Christmas had come early. We walked down to the dungeons and I started talking.

"So Ernie, I've been thinking, and I never really realized how friendly you are. You really are a great person, and I'd love to get to know you better. I guess what I'm asking is, would you like to go out with me?" I bit my lip, trying to look nervous. That was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Maybe it's easier to do something like that when you don't really like the guy, because there aren't any conflicting emotions getting in the way. I kind of felt bad for doing this when I actually had no feeling for him, but I had no choice. I had to get the Malfoy situation out of my head, and having a boyfriend would cause enough drama in my huge annoying family to make me forget the situation completely. I hoped.

McLaggen stayed quiet for a long time and just stared at me. I thought he might be in shock. Just when I was about to ask him if he was okay, he leaned in and kissed me full on the mouth. I was surprised, so say the least, but I decided to kiss him back. You know how in magazines and books they tell you that the first time you kiss someone it's supposed to be a magical moment? Like you're flying, and you never want the kiss to end because you feel so blissful, and it feels like a lifetime even though it's only been a few short seconds before you pull away? None of that happened with Ernie. I felt nothing. Oh, it wasn't bad or anything, he was a good kisser, there just wasn't a spark. Eventually, I pulled away. Maybe it would get better over time? And maybe if I got to know Ernie better I would develop real feelings for him. Only time will tell, I guess.

***************************************Scorpius POV***********************************

Dammit! Stupid Chastity brown is after me again! I don't know why she's named Chastity. She's got a reputation as The Hogwarts Whore. I guess it was Lavender Brown's idea of irony? She must have known her daughter would be as much of a slut as she was, if not more. Oh. My father told me about his school days, and Lavender. Apparently she had tried to hook up with him several times, even when he was dating Pansy. He said he was really relieved when she got obsessed with Ron Weasley, thinking that maybe she would leave him alone, but she just went right back to bugging him the moment Ron dumped her. Anyway, enough about my father.

Chastity had this dumb idea in the small brain of hers that she and I were destined to be together or some shit. I had no idea where she got this from, but once we started 4th year she started stalking me, and ever since them she's been trying to get me in bed. Yeah, I know. 'You're Scorpius Malfoy, and a Slytherin! You should be the one trying to get girls in bed, not the other way around!' But I'm not like that. Everyone thinks that because I'm in Slytherin, not to mention a _Malfoy_ that I would be this rude asshole womanizer, but I'm not. My father taught me to treat women with respect, and fucking a different one every other night is certainly not respect. Actually, the only girl I haven't treated with respect is that Rose Weasley. But that's not my fault, she hates me. My father told me she probably would, because he knew her father and how much Ronald Weasley hated his guts, and to just tryo to be nice to her and she'd eventually leave him alone. But that was easier said than done, I mean the girl was yelling at me every two seconds? What kind of a man would I be if I just stood there and let her bully me? A wimpy one, that's what.

But despite that fact that she annoyed the hell out of me, I had to admit she was hot. No, not just in a 'she's really sexy, I wanna get her in bed' kind of way, I mean she was really beautiful. Not to mention the way she looked when she yelled at me was adorable, albeit annoying. I had started to think these things about her last year, the first year she was a prefect. We all knew she would be, but I didn't expect the effect it would have on her. I expected her to just get all snooty and stuck-up, I mean she _was_ related to Percy Weasley after all, but that didn't happen. She was really nice (to everyone but me of course) and she had this air of confidence about her. Not just, 'I'm a prefect, I have power, behave around me I can give you detention' confidence, but just a general 'I can do anything, I can be anyone if I just put my mind to it' confidence. And for some reason I found that really attractive. I suppose it might be because I have to put up with so much crap because of my last name, that the kind of confidence she has is exactly the kind I need to get through life. So yes, I admit I fancy Rose Weasley. It doesn't matter, though, I mean, she hates me.

I listened, and I didn't hear Chastity anymore. She finally left! Now if I could only get back to my dorm without running into prefects. Rose let me off easy last time, but I think she was just tired. There's no way she's gonna let me go again, she hates me and would do anything to get me in detention. Unless she let me off because she secretly doesn't hate me and… No! I can't think like that, it'll only lead to pain and suffering. Wow, that sounded girly. But it's true. I quietly left the broom cupboard and slowly made my way in the direction of the Slytherin common room. I reached an intersection, and I carefully peeked around the corner and saw…

Rose Weasley in a liplock with Ernie Fucking McLaggen. Bloody Fucking Merlin. What the hell? I thought she was creeped out by that guy? No, I don't stalk her. One of my dorm mates told me that. I think he was trying to make me feel better by saying that there's another guy she dislikes, but it didn't because I knew she hated me more. Apparently, she got over that. I felt a surge of some emotion deep in my gut. Jealousy? Well, that's expected when the girl of my dreams in kissing some other guy right in front of me. And I mean that literally, corny as it sounds, I dream about her. I know, Witch Weekly would get a kick out of that. That's why it's private, thank you. I looked at the ground, and made my way back to my common room. There's no reason to be careful anymore, only two prefects patrol down here and they're obviously… busy. I said the password and the door appeared, which I shoved open roughly. I stormed into the common room and plopped down on the couch, glad that no one was still there. I felt like crap.

Life really sucks sometimes, you know? I sighed and stared into the fire. I guess there's no reason for me to bother Rose anymore, she's in a relationship now and her _boyfriend_ probably doesn't want some other guy bothering her all the time, let alone indirectly flirting. I certainly wouldn't, and I'm polite enough to do the right thing, even if it really pisses me off. So I'm going to ignore her, no that she'd notice, she already avoids me. I settled into the couch, knowing I wasn't about to get any sleep that night.

**AN: Aww, poor Scorp. Don't worry, he won't suffer forever I promise! Please review, I love feedback. Next chapter coming soon!**

**~BurritoTown**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Longest chapter yet! **

Rose POV

After patrol that night McLaggen and I walked back to Gryffindor tower together, holding hands. I found it kind of disgusting, actually. Not holding hands with him in particular, just the way he was so protective and clingy. It reminded me of how Aunt Ginny described how Mina's father had treated her when they were dating. Very sweet, but a little too protective, like she couldn't do anything for herself. That's exactly what it was like with Ernie. Oh well, I'll just have to deal with it. I guess it's cute, in a way, that he cares this much. Yes, that's the attitude I need.

After we entered the common room, Ernie walked with me over to the stairs up to the girls' dormitory. He bent over and kissed my hand. Wow, dramatic much? I put on a smile and told him goodnight before heading upstairs. Once I was sure he couldn't hear me, I let out a sigh of relief. I don't know why I decided to do this, he was so annoying! But it is a distraction. I entered the 6th year girls dorm and found Paula and Mina waiting up for me.

"Girls, you should be in bed. I can give you detention." I smiled at them, they knew I was joking.

"Oh, we know you wouldn't, and you can't anyway. The rules say we have to be in our dorm after curfew, which as you can see, we are," Paula replied. She was right, but I was just teasing anyway.

"So, what took you so long tonight? Last week you were back an hour earlier. Did something happen?" Oh Mina. Ever so perceptive.

"No, not really…" I knew it was no use, and I really had no reason to hide it.

"Come on, Rose. You know you can't lie to me. Out with it," said Paula.

"Oh alright. I'm dating Ernie McLaggen." I prepared myself for whatever reaction was coming.

"WHAT? When did this happen?" Paula nearly shrieked.

"Just tonight, we were talking and, I don't know, we just clicked." Okay, now I was lying through my teeth. But I couldn't tell them that I was only dating him so that I could get my mind off of Malfoy. Then they would get too many ideas, and then tell me off for using the poor boy. I already felt bad enough as it was, I didn't need a scolding.

"But, I though you didn't like him? You were always saying how annoying he was, and that his eyes were creepy. Why the sudden change? You're _dating_ him?" Okay, now the interrogation was getting a little annoying.

"Yes, Paula. I'm dating Ernie McLaggen. And I'm happy. I really like him, and I'm tired. Goodnight girls." Okay, that was a little rude. But she was questioning my entirely made up feelings! Okay, I guess the fact that they're "entirely made up" makes them questionable. But whatever, I was tired. I quickly changed into my pajamas and went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up and took a shower to clear my head. After my shower, everything that happened yesterday seemed to hit me. I was dating Ernie McLaggen. The idea sounded funny in my head. I got dressed and walked down the stairs to find my… boyfriend waiting for me. I've got to get used to that.

He greeted me and took my hand, and we walked down to the Great Hall together. As we entered, I could see several people's eyes widen, the most obvious of which were my cousins. Ernie and I went to sit by Al, who immediately began interrogating me, much as Paula had done the night before.

"Rose? You have a boyfriend? When did that happen? Why didn't you tell me?" Wow, he was weird. At least I was dating a Gryffindor Quidditch star. He was a great keeper, and James and Al were already friends with him. Once they got over the initial shock and protective cousin act, they would approve and we'd be fine. As opposed to how they'd act if I dated someone they didn't like, like Malfoy. Wait. Why was I thinking about him? I did this whole dating thing to get my mind off him.

"Yes, I have a boyfriend. And we just got together last night, during rounds, which is why I couldn't tell you, smart one." I sent him a mock glare, hoping that would shut him up. It did, and he moved to convey the message to the rest of my gaping cousins. Honestly, don't they have anything better to stare at?

After breakfast, Ernie walked me to Potions. I entered the classroom and took my seat by Paula. I glanced over to where Malfoy sat staring intently at his notes. What was with him? I hadn't seen him speak a word all day. And over the past week I'd caught him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I guess he was just wondering why I wasn't talking to him. Why the sudden change? I guess he just lost interest, or he figured it out. I had told him I didn't want to fight when we were on the train, so maybe he remembered that. Well, kudos to him. He finally figured something out.

But strangely, the fact that he was avoiding me didn't really make me happy. I thought it would, but it was actually kind of lonely. I mean, I wasn't really lonely. I had friends, and a boyfriend. But, I don't know. I guess, when someone has been a part of your life for a long time, regardless of the reason, if they suddenly stop caring it can be a blow, even if you don't like them. Okay, that sounded weird. What I mean is, okay, it's like if a supervillain was always causing trouble and annoying the hell out of the superhero, their nemesis. But then one day, the superhero stopped caring, and he didn't come foil the villain's plans anymore. The villain would be able to get away with more stuff, but he would feel lonely after a while because there was no confrontation. That's the kind of loneliness I had. My school rival had stopped caring and it surprisingly bothered me. Maybe he was just tired. I decided to watch him and see if he continued ignoring me. Not in a creepy stalker way! Just because I wanted to make sure he was ok. Yeah. That's it. Ok.

Through all the classes I had with him, he ignored me. I decided he was probably just not feeling well. Good. But he acted the same way the next day. And for the next two weeks it got progressively worse. After two weeks had gone by, I had noticed that it was even worse when I was with Ernie. Whenever we were walking together and he saw us, he would immediately look away and start walking fast, and it looked like he was angry. What was his problem? I decided I would confront him that night.

At dinner that evening, I was getting really annoyed with Ernie. He was _so_ protective! He barely let me go to the bathroom alone! He even asked if he could walk me there once! I didn't know how long I could keep this up. I had started dating him for the sake of my sanity, but I was pretty sure I was worse off than before! I noticed that Malfoy had just gotten up and was leaving the hall. I was sure I needed to confront him alone, and this was my chance.

"Ernie, I have a lot of homework and I really need to go to the library and work on it." I really hoped he would just let me leave.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he said with a grin. I guess not.

"No, I promised Kayla I would help her since she's behind in DADA, and besides, if you came I would be distracted, and I really need to concentrate." Okay I made up the part about my dormmate Kayla, she was actually doing great in DADA and she didn't need my help at all, but I needed an excuse to leave and I knew if I stayed here much longer I wouldn't be able to catch up to Scorpius.

Ernie's face fell. "Okay, I guess. See you later?" He looked really uncertain, like me going one place without him was going to tear up our relationship. It was pathetic. I could easily start an argument, but I had more important things to do.

I turned and walked out of the hall, and as soon as I was out of their sight range I started running towards the dungeons. I was pretty sure he was headed towards his common room. I finally turned a corner and found him walking down an empty corridor. I stopped running.

"Hey Malfoy!"

He turned around, noticed it was me, and was about to turn back and keep walking, when I suddenly got really pissed. I didn't know where it came from, but I couldn't just let him walk away again. I ran over to him and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around to face me.

"Why have you been ignoring me? Did I do anything?" He looked at me angrily.

"What? Why have _I_ been ignoring _you_? You're being a total hypocrite! _You've_ been avoiding _me_ for the past two weeks! And now it's suddenly a problem if I ignore you? I thought that's what you would have wanted? Less time wasted with me and more to spend with your precious _boyfriend_! Honestly, I really thought you could do better than McLaggen."

"Of course I don't want to waste my time with you! And don't you say anything about Ernie! Why do you care about my boyfriend anyway?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" What?

***************************************Scorpius POV***********************************

"Because I love you!" What? Why did I just say that? _Love_? I never said I _loved_ her! I _fancied_ her! And you never tell a girl you like her, it makes you look like an idiot! (**AN: AVPM/S reference :D**) I'm screwed. Totally screwed. I cautiously looked up at her. She was staring at me like I had just grown a second head. Now I've done it. She looked completely baffled. But what was that? I stared deep into her eyes, and deep down, below all the shock, I saw slight… relief? Could she possibly like me back? Even just a little bit. With this in mind, I did the only thing I could do in this situation.

I kissed her.

**AN: Don't worry! It's not all happy from here, still lots of confusion and drama to come! **

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

Rose POV

I can't believe it. He kissed me. Scorpius Malfoy, bane of my existence, kissed me! And I _liked_ it! No! I'm dating Ernie! I shouldn't be liking kissing anyone besides him, especially Malfoy. But when Scorpius kissed me, I felt something. The stuff I described when I talked about kissing Ernie for the first time, that's what I felt with Malfoy. But multiplied by ten. It was amazing.

He pulled back, and I continued staring at him. A light blush colored his cheeks, and all I could think was 'he's adorable!' Then he smiled, and I found myself smiling as well. I wanted to kiss him again. Merlin, I wanted to. But I couldn't. Ernie was my boyfriend. If this_ thing_ with Malfoy was going to go anywhere, I would have to break it off with Ernie first. Sure, I could do it, I mean the boy was soo annoying. I would love to be rid of him. But what would my family think? I had only been with him for two weeks. And I had played the role of the happy, totally in love girlfriend so well. If I broke it off, they would wonder what he did wrong, and I would have to explain this whole mess to them. With great difficulty, I turned away from Scorpius and ran away. I couldn't say anything. If I did, I was sure I would cave and stay with him. And students would be coming back from dinner soon. I couldn't be caught. I ran all the way back to Gryffindor tower.

I told the Fat Lady the password and rushed inside. I ran all the way up to the 6th year girls dorm and found Paula waiting for me.

"What happened? I know that look! Who is it? Tell me!" Gosh darn it. She knows me too well.

"Ok but promise not to tell ANYONE. I followed Scorpius Malfoy and asked him why he was ignoring me and after some fighting he told me that he loved me and then he kissed me!" I let it all out in one breath and waited for her outburst.

"WHAT? OH MY GOSH ROSE! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? DID YOU LIKE IT? YOU DID DIDN'T YOU? I KNEW IT! OH THIS IS AWESOME!" She didn't get it. It is most definitely not awesome.

"No, it's not. I'm with Ernie, remember? And we've only been together for two weeks, and he hasn't done anything wrong. Well, I mean, he's annoying as hell but he's always been like that. There's no reason for me to break up with him, my family's ok with it and he's a nice guy." Ok, even I'll admit that just sounded dumb.

"Rose, that's bullshit. I know you've never really liked Ernie, and I had guessed that you were dating him for some other reason. And I can tell from the way you looked when you ran in here that you really like Scorpius. And it's not like two weeks is insanely short for a relationship, lots are shorter than that. If you're not happy, you should break it off with McLaggen and be with the person you really want to be with. Which in this case, is Scorpius." She was right. I was being stupid. There was no reason for me to be with Ernie if I was in love with someone else. But I was afraid. My family had grudgingly accepted Ernie as my boyfriend, but Scorpius? There was no way in hell. They would give him so much crap, and I couldn't let them do that to him.

I said goodnight to Paula and got in my bed. I fell into a restless sleep, unsure of what I should do.

The next morning, I was still feeling very unsure and nervous. I showered and got dressed slowly, while still thinking through my options. I could see no easy way out. I went down to breakfast with Ernie, but the whole time I didn't speak a word. Being with him just didn't feel right. I mean, it never felt particularly _good_, but now it just felt _wrong_. I kept thinking about Scorpius. How it had felt every time I had ended up against him, and when he kissed me. One word: fireworks. They say that's what's supposed to happen with true love. I couldn't believe it. If that was true, and Malfoy was my true love, then what was I doing with Ernie? Oh yeah. If my family found out I was spending any time with Malfoy at all, they'd murder me. I didn't even want to think about what my father would do.

I suddenly remembered what exactly I had done that night. He had straight out told me he loved me and kissed me even though he thought I still hated him, and I turned and ran away. I ran away! Now he's going to think I've rejected him. Which is definitely not the case. I had just needed time to think, but I'm sure I gave him the wrong idea. Maybe he was just joking. He was an asshat like that. I decided to keep an eye on him and see how he acted.

In Potions, I looked over at him through the corner of my eye and I saw him looking at me. He seemed to be watching me too, just in a much more obvious way. I smiled at him, and he weakly returned it, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. Damn, he was being sincere. But I couldn't do anything. My family would murder me.

Throughout the day, whenever I saw him he seemed to be watching me. I felt really bad, and I wanted more than anything to go talk to him, but Ernie was being more clingy than ever. Apparently he missed me terribly when I was "in the library" last night, and he wanted to spend more time with me. As if we weren't basically attached at the hip already. This was getting ridiculous.

Paula was getting annoyed with me, too. "Come on, Rose. You need to break it off with Ernie. I can tell being with him is just aggravating you. You should only be with someone if they make you _happy_." I knew what she was getting at, and I knew she was right. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. My family meant too much to me.

After dinner, Ernie decided we should spend the evening together, since we'd already finished our homework. I agreed, sighing internally. As we left the Great Hall together, I could feel _his_ eyes on my back. I felt terrible and I just wanted to go to bed, but somehow I knew I needed to spend tonight with Ernie. I took his hand and we walked back to the Gryffindor common room. When we got there, I was about to say the password when he squeezed my hand, smiled at me and told the Fat Lady the password himself. When she moved aside, he proceeded to try to help me through the portrait hole, as if I was incapable of getting through by myself even though I'd been doing it just fine for the last 5 years.

I shoved away from him and went over to the couch. He quickly followed me, and just before I could sit down he rearranged the pillows for me. That was the last straw.

"Dammit Ernie! I can do things for myself! I don't need you doing everything for me." He looked speechless. I realized I had never yelled at him before, or even called him out for his annoying actions.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. I didn't want someone as beautiful as you to have to exert herself." Wow. He's such a jackass.

"Merlin Ernie! You act like I'm just some little kid! I can do things for myself. Saying the password and walking through the portrait hole is not _exertion_. My _uncle_ is Harry Potter. My _parents_ are Ron and Hermione Weasley. I they've raised me to be tough. I'm not some defenseless little girl. You just can't see that. You know what? We're though." Family be damned, I am not staying with this arsewipe of a wizard.

I shot him an angry glare and stormed out of the portrait hole. I was walking around randomly, when I happened to run into Paula and Lorcan talking near the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry Lorcan, but can I borrow her?" He shot me a funny look.

"Um, sure Rose. Just remember to give her back before I fine you!" He sent me a playful smile. I could see why Paula liked him. Why couldn't my love life be like that? She had a nice boyfriend with a sense of humor, and her family approved. No weird, complicated, family feud crap. Must be nice.

"What's wrong Rose? What happened?" She got right to the point.

"Well, I broke it off with Ernie."

"Good for you! Doesn't that feel good, knowing you don't have him hanging on you all the time?" I smiled.

"Yes, it does feel good. But it's not all good now. I still have issues."

"Oh right, Malfoy. Welll, what are you waiting for? You broke up with Ernie, what's in your way now?" She really had to ask?

"My family. There's no way in hell they would accept Scorpius as even a friend. Just thinking about what my father would do is terrifying." I shuddered, partially for dramatic effect, and partially seriously.

"You're calling him Scorpius now? Coolio! Did you talk to him about this?" How could I have?

"No, I actually haven't spoken to him since last night," I answered nervously.

"WHAT? Now he's going to think the wrong thing! Guys judge situations way too quickly. He's going to think you've rejected him!"

"I know!  
>I feel awful, but what was I supposed to do? I had a boyfriend!"<p>

"But you don't now! You have to go talk to him! Now! Go!" She shoved me in the direction of the Slytherin common room, where, coincidentally, Scorpius was walking alone.

I quickly walked over until I was pretty close behind him. He kept walking, and I kept following him until he led us into a small deserted corridor. Then he turned around and raised an eyebrow. It was incredibly sexy. I could have swooned.

"Yes? Why are you following me Weasley?" Okay, what was I supposed to say?

"I, um, can I talk to you?" Wow, that was lame.

"We're talking right now." Now I just felt stupid.

"I mean, uh, about last night."

"There's nothing to talk about. Forget it ever happened." Oh Merlin, he really did think I didn't like him.

"Yes there is. I broke up with Ernie."

"You did what?"

"I broke it off with Ernie. There was no reason for me to stay with him. He annoyed the hell out of me, and anyway, it wouldn't be fair to be with him when I'd rather be with you."

He froze. "W-what did you say?"

"I said I broke up with Ernie because I wanted to be with you."

He was still speechless. I decided I needed to use a different approach. I leaned in, and placed a very light, feathery kiss on his lips.

I pulled back, and smiled at him. He smiled back. I kissed him again, harder this time. He responded almost instantly. I had never felt anything like this in my whole life. I was in utter bliss. My arms wrapped around his neck and his wound around my waist, pulling me closer. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I never wanted it to end. Reluctantly, I pulled away for lack of air. We were both breathing heavily.

We walked over into a dark corner and sat down. I looked at him. "Scorpius, I really like you, but we can't be together."

"What? Why?"

"You know my family. They're all horribly biased. Just because of who your grandfather is, and what your father did, they think you'll be just like them I think it's all bullshit, you're your own person. But they won't see it that way. Especially my dad. He's the most narrow-minded person on the face of the earth."

"I know. My father told me that they'd probably all be like that, especially Ron. But he also said that if I just was nice and acted like a gentleman, they'd eventually warm up to me. I guess it didn't work."

"You were acting like a gentleman? I sure as hell didn't notice." I was messing with him, and he knew it.

"I was! Just not to you, 'cause you pissed me off. If you were a little nicer to me, I probably would have been nice back."

"I figured that out this year."

"Yeah, you did." He laughed. I loved his laugh, I couldn't help but smile when I heard it.

"So what are we gonna do? I don't see a way around this." I thought really hard, but he didn't seem to have to think at all.

"Well, it obvious. There's only one thing we can do." He had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Rose Weasley, will you be my secret girlfriend?"

**AN: Yay! They're finally together! I couldn't stretch it out much longer, so I just decided to let it happen. But it's not over yet, there's still a lot of family drama to get through. **

**Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

"_Rose Weasley, will you be my secret girlfriend?"_

I couldn't believe it. It was so obvious. We didn't have to be public about our relationship. We could be together and avoid all the family drama easily.

"Why didn't I think of that before? Of course I'll be your secret girlfriend!" I laughed and kissed him. We stayed there for a while, just being together.

Soon, it was almost curfew and I had to get all the way back to Gryffindor tower since it wasn't my night to patrol.

"I'm sorry Scorpius, I have to go." He looked at his watch and his eyes widened.

"Okay. What are you doing on Saturday?"

"I'm just planning on studying in the library, why?" He smiled wickedly. I knew where this was going.

"I'll be waiting in the very back corner behind the really tall bookshelf." With that he stood and helped me up, and walked back in the direction of the dungeons.

I watched him leave, and then I broke out in a run. I couldn't have a single stain on my record. I barely made it through the portrait hole in time. I went up to my dormitory, and as usual, my girlfriends were waiting.

"Hey guys. It's a lovely night, isn't it? I think it's perfect." They looked at me strangely.

"What are you talking about, Rose? It's cold and it's pouring rain. What's so perfect?" Couldn't she tell? Oh right, my friends aren't psychic.

"Paula, life is wonderful."

"Okay, what's gotten into you Rose?" asked Mina.

"Girls, you're not going to believe this." Dramatic pause. "Scorpius asked me to be his secret girlfriend!"

Suddenly the room was filled with enthusiastic squeals coming from one Paula Finnegan.

"OMYGOSH ROSE I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" She ran over and hugged me. I returned the hug.

"That's great, Rose!" Mina's so sweet. She wasn't as enthusiastic as Paula, but she was just as sincere.

We all sat on my bed and after we calmed down we got into normal conversation.

"So, what do you mean 'secret' girlfriend?" asked Paula.

"I mean, we have to keep our relationship secret so that my family won't make a big deal out of it and give him a hard time." I looked at Paula, sure that she would have some words of wisdom for me.

"Well, it's not the best thing to do over a long period of time. But I have spent a lot of time with your family and I know how crazy they can be about things like this. So, I guess for right now, you are doing what's best for you and hopefully your family will eventually get over themselves and learn to accept him. I think it's best to do something like that in person, though. Oh! We have Christmas break coming up. How about you tell your family then?"

"That sounds good. I'll have to ask Scorpius what he thinks, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Thanks!"

"Oh no problem, Rose. It's what best friends are for!" I hugged her and went to get ready for bed, humming to myself. For a day that started out like crap, it turned out amazing. I was pretty sure that day was the best day of my life. I went to sleep with a smile on my face and got a full and restful sleep for the first time in ages.

************************************Scorpius POV**************************************

I couldn't believe it. It was like all my dreams had come true in a single moment. …Whoa. That sounded incredibly girly. Well, I guess that's what love does to you. Yup, I was in love with Rose Weasley. And I wasn't ashamed anymore, because I knew she liked me back. I didn't think she loves me, at least not yet, but it didn't matter. We had all the time in the world. I was positive that I would never feel the same way about any other girl in my entire life. And I would prove it to her if it was the last thing I did.

The rest of the week dragged on slowly. Rose and I had decided to mostly ignore each other in public, so that we wouldn't accidentally slip up and reveal our secret. I couldn't wait for Saturday, when we could finally be normal.

Eventually, Saturday arrived. I got up and showered so that I would smell great, and then I went down to breakfast. I ate quickly, and just as I was about to leave, Rose entered with her friends. I didn't know if they knew, so I just met her eyes for a moment, to let her know I was going to "study." She seemed to get the message, and nodded. I smiled, and walked quickly out of there. I headed to the library, knowing today was going to be a good day.

**************************************Rose POV***************************************

Scorpius looked at me and I assumed he was trying to tell me he was going to the library, so I nodded. I went with my friends and hurried to grab some food. They noticed my rushing.

"Rose, what's the hurry? You're normally so relaxed on Saturdays," Paula asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm meeting Scorpius in the library," I whispered. "He's already on his way there."

"Oh my gosh! That's so exciting! Have fun! Don't get caught!"

"Thanks, Paula. Love you guys, bye!" I waved, and nearly ran out of there.

Finally, I reached the library, nearly out of breath. I stopped and breathed slowly for a couple minutes, then I walked in. I made my way to the back corner where I knew Scorpius would be waiting. I rounded the corner, and was met with a very dark space that appeared to be empty.

"Scorpius?" I whispered.

Suddenly, I felt two warm arms around my waist. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey."

He pulled me far back into the dark, and then his I felt his lips connect with mine. In the kiss, I was reminded of how much I had missed this. I could tell he was thinking the same thing. The kiss was full of so much love and passion that I was sure I would have collapsed if he wasn't holding my waist so tightly. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him, loving the feeling of his body against mine.

After a long while, we broke apart.

"Wow." That was all I could say.

He grinned and we sat down against the wall.

"So, how's your week been?" he asked.

"Okay, I guess. But really slow. I missed you," I replied.

"I missed you, too."

He wrapped his arms around me, and I snuggled closer to him. We sat there in silence for a long time, just enjoying being together. I couldn't remember ever feeling this _whole_. Like there had always been a piece of me missing, that I had never realized was gone until it was put back in place, but it was the most important piece and I only just realized I couldn't be without it.

We spent the whole day there, just talking about random things, and relishing the time we had together. I looked at my watch, and realized it was time for dinner.

"Hey Scorpius?"

"Hm?"

"We have to go to dinner."

"Do we really have to?"

"Well, we missed lunch. I think people would notice I we missed dinner, too. Plus, I'm kina hungry." My stomach growled to emphasize my point. He laughed.

"Okay, I guess we should go. You're patrolling on Monday night, right?"

I nodded.

"Is patrolling something that holds a great amount of importance to you?"

"No, not really. I never understood why we had to do it, anyway."

"Will you give me detention if I'm out after curfew?"

"I think I could let it slide if you were in the company of a prefect." I grinned at him.

"That works out perfectly then because I plan to be in the broom closet closest to the Slytherin common room with none other than a certain 6th year Gryffindor prefect."

"I hope you're not talking about Ernie."

"Don't even speak his name in my presence."

"Okay, I was just messing with you. We better leave at separate times in case someone is out there. I'll go first." I placed one last fleeting kiss on his lips before walking out of the corner and making my way to the Great Hall. I couldn't wait for rounds on Monday. It was going to be the most fun I'd ever had after curfew.

**AN: There's chapter 7! Hope you guys like it, I worked hard. I had to, with two friends completely hooked on it and constantly begging for more. I will try to get chapter 8 up ASAP, but I have school tomorrow so we'll see how it goes. Love you guys, please R&R!**

**~BurritoTown**


	8. Chapter 8

Rose POV

Monday night went about the same way as Saturday. We had several more secret meetings over the next few weeks. We had homework and friends, and we couldn't be too suspicious, so our meetings were limited, but whenever we could get together we… made the most of it.

Christmas break was approaching, and I had yet to tell Scorpius of the plan Paula had come up with the first night we got together. It was a cold and rainy day and almost everyone was inside, but Scorpius and I were sitting outside under the tree by the lake, with a warming charm around us and a shield for the rain. I was very peaceful.

"Hey Scorpius?"

"Hmm?"

"So, winter break is coming up soon, and I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to come to the Burrow for dinner sometime?" I asked nervously.

He jumped a little and looked at me. I could understand why, I mean we've been secret for weeks and now I suddenly want to take him home to my family.

"I was talking to Paula. We have to eventually tell my family we're dating, I mean if we don't and they find out some other way they'll be so much worse. And she said, it would be better to tell them in person rather than through an owl, or worse an owl from one of my obnoxious cousins. I thought so too, and I thought that it would be best if we both were there when we told them. But only if you want to, I mean I'm sure my dad's going to blow a fuse and I don't want you to get hurt."

He cut me off. "Of course I'll be there. I don't want you to have to face them alone, and even if I do end up with a broken nose I'd rather have them know. I know they'll eventually warm up to me, I mean come on, I'm awesome." I smacked his arm. "But seriously, I want them to know about us."

"Yeah, me too. I guess I'll owl my parents and ask if I can have my boyfriend over for Christmas dinner."

"Sounds good. It's getting late, I guess we should go inside."

"Aww, do we have to? It's so peaceful out here."

"I don't want to go either, but it's almost sunset. And we shouldn't be out here after dark. Plus, it's getting colder."

"Okay, I guess." We stood up and he took my hand. We walked towards the castle in silence. I wished we could be like this on a nice day. Maybe after break we could. I just wanted to tell my family first, so that they didn't hear about it any other way. Rumors spread insanely fast at Hogwarts, and I had so many cousins that I never knew who had heard what. But if one cousin knew something, the rest of us would, too and Lily or Hugo would have to owl the parents, especially if the gossip involved one of us. We couldn't risk it.

When we reached the doors to the castle, I hugged Scorpius tightly and placed a light kiss on his lips, before hurrying inside. I started making my way up to the owlry. The walk was long and exhausting, but I eventually arrived. I pulled out a piece of black parchment and a quill, and began writing.

_Dear Mum,_

_School has been great so far. I'm so glad to be back! The work is much more challenging this term, but I'm surviving. I can't wait for break, though!_

_(Mum, it might be wise if you sent Dad away while you read the next part. I don't want him to have a seizure.)_

_I'm sure you've heard from Lily or Hugo that I dated Ernie McLaggen for a couple weeks. He was nice enough, but he was so clingy! He wouldn't let me do anything for myself. It reminded me of how Aunt Ginny described what it was like when she dated Mina's dad. It got so bad I had no choice but to break up with him. I never really liked him much anyway, so don't worry about that. _

_I'm sure you knew all of that though. What you probably don't know is, I have another boyfriend now. I really like him, and I was wondering if he could possibly come over to dinner over break? Just promise me one thing, though. I you do let him come, don't leave him and dad in the same room together without strict supervision from a responsible adult. I don't want dad to hurt him._

_(Okay, now Dad can read the rest.)_

_So anyway, I miss you guys and Paula wants to come over for Christmas dinner again. I know you said she never even has to ask, and she is pretty much part of the family anyway, but I just want to make sure._

_Love you!_

_-Rose_

Satisfied with my letter, I sealed the letter in an envelope addressed to my mum, and tied it to one of the school owls. After telling him where to go, I quickly left the owlry.

In a few days, a reply cam in the morning post. I grabbed it and went out into the Entrance Hall, so that none of my nosy cousins could see the letter.

_Dear Rose,_

_Thank you for writing us. I always love to hear from you. I'm glad you're enjoying being back at Hogwarts. I do hope you're doing well._

_Of course Paula can come to dinner! She's always welcome._

_Now about the other matter. I did as you requested and didn't show your father, but he will have to know at some point that your boyfriend is coming to dinner. I did hear about the McLaggen boy. I don't know if I ever told you, but I went out with his father once. It was horrible. Not that he wasn't nice, but I just didn't like him. I'm glad you found someone you're happy with, and I can't wait to meet him. You didn't give me a name. You know I'm smart enough to know that means you don't want us to know who he is until we meet him, and that's fine. As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you. Considering the things you said about your father's possible reactions, I have a hunch who it is. Would you be mad if I told you I expected it? You used to talk about him so much, it was bound to happen. Don't worry, I won't tell your father, and I'm not mad at you. I'm sure he's a very nice boy. Draco Malfoy changed after the war._

_Love you!_

_Mum _

I couldn't believe it. She knew! Actually yes, I could believe it. My mum _was_ the smartest witch of her age, after all. I caught sight of Scorpius as he exited the hall and I walked past him, catching his eye deliberately. He nodded slightly, and soon he was following me. When we got into a suitable place, I turned to face him.

"So, I heard back from my mum. She says you're welcome to come, and she can't wait to meet you. Also, she figured out who you are."

"What? How? My father told me she was smart, but we barely gave her anything to work with!"

"Well, she said she expected it because I talked about you. Actually, I was always complaining about how much of an arse you were, but I don't know. She can read into anything, and she's always right."

"Are you serious? How do you know she knows?" I handed him the letter.

"Read the last paragraph." I pointed it out. He read, and his eyes seemed to get bigger with every word. When he got the the last sentence, I swear they nearly popped out of his head.

"Whoa. She really figured it out. I'm glad she didn't tell your dad, though. That would have been bad."

I nodded. "Yeah, it wuld have been. But she knows that, and that's why she didn't tell him. She said she needs to tell him something, though. Just to give him a bit or warning. He doesn't have to know it's you though."

"Okay, that seems fair. I wouldn't want my daughter to have her boyfriend over without telling me, either."

"Alright, I'll owl her back today. We should probably get to class,"

"Yeah."

We walked out together, and made our way to potions. I made sure to walk on the other side of the hallway, so that it looked like we didn't know we were walking together.

That evening, I went up to the owlry to compose a quick reply to my mum's letter.

_Dear Mum,_

_Thank you for replying so quickly. Paula is really glad she can come. You guessed right, but please don't tell dad. I agree that you should tell him I'm having my boyfriend over, but that's it. Thank you for understanding._

_Love you!_

_-Rose_

It was short, but it got my point across and that was all I really needed to say. I made my way back to Gryffindor tower and got ready for bed. It wasn't late, but I was tired and I knew I needed to get as much rest as I could before break. We were going home next week and it was going to be one of the most drama-filled vacations I've ever had.

I was happy and content because my mother knew, understood and wasn't mad at me, so it was easy to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

**AN: I know, nothing much happened. I just had to set up for the next big thing. They've finally decided to tell Rose's family! Review please! They make me happy and keep me writing.**

**Next chapter: Christmas! (and all the drama that comes with it )**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to my amazing best friend ever Alexa, the inspiration for Paula :D**

Rose POV

Break had finally arrived! I had already packed the night before, so I dragged Paula out of bed and we got ready. She would be staying at my house for the first half of break since her parents were working out of the country.

We went down to breakfast with Mina. She was staying at school. We talked about random things. When it was time to go, we hugged Mina and said goodbye, and left for Hogsmeade station.

We boarded the train, and ran to grab an empty compartment. Once we were inside, we shut the blinds and I peeked out the door. Soon I saw Scorpius coming down the hallway. Dammit, he was surrounded by his friends. I tapped really hard on the glass by his head, which caused him to jump. His friends all laughed, but then they realized he would be mad so they scampered off. When the hallway was clear, I opened the door and pulled him into the compartment.

"Oh hi Rose. Dammit you scared me." I laughed.

"Oh really? Well, I wouldn't have had to if you weren't with your friends."

"Well, I'm sorry I have friends." At that point he made a really strange face that I can't even describe. It was hilarious, though and soon we were both laughing our asses off.

The three of us spent the whole trip just talking and laughing, and soon the train pulled into King's Cross. I saw my family, and I knew it was time to say goodbye to Scorpius. I hugged him tightly.

"Bye, see you in a few days. And don't worry. My family may look intimidating, but the only one you really have to worry about is my dad,. And even he's not a problem, because he always listens to my mum and she is fine with it."

"Okay, I guess. See you, Rose."

He kissed me quickly, and I followed Paula out of the compartment. We ran over to my family and were greeted with lots of bone-crushing hugs. After the chaos settled down, we went to the car and started on our way home.

My mother tried to talk to us in the car, but we were too engrossed in our conversations to say anything to her. I felt bad, but I was having too much fun talking with Paula to really care.

We arrived at my house, and Paula and I went inside. We ran up to my bedroom and I closed the door.

"So, my mom said he could come over for Christmas dinner!"

"Oh my gosh that is so awesomely awesome!"

"I know right! And she didn't tell my dad, thankfully. All he knows is that I have a boyfriend who's coming to dinner. I hope he doesn't make too big a deal out of it. I mean, I know he will. But my mom said she told him a while ago, so hopefully he's cooled down by now."

The days passed fairly quickly. I was glad to be home. Soon, it was Christmas Eve. Paula, Hugo and I got up early. We got dressed, packed a bag, and went down for breakfast. My dad was still in his pajamas, but my mum was fully dressed and cooking breakfast. She greeted us happily, gave us food, and sent my dad up to change.

Eventually, we were ready to go to the Burrow. We all piled into the car and drove off. We arrived next to last, the only people missing were Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Roxy and Fred. I missed Roxy. She had graduated from Hogwarts two years ago. We used to be really close, but after she graduated and we didn't see each other as often, we grew apart. Grandma Molly told us Uncle George was held up at the shop with last minute Christmas customers and they would be arriving late.

We all socialized for a long time and saw the people we hadn't seen in a while. Teddy and Victoire announced that they were getting married! Paula and I were so excited! We got together with Grandma Molly and were already planning the wedding the moment they spoke the words. We had a lot of fun, and Grandma served a HUGE dinner. It was delicious, Grandma is the only person who can cook food that even comes close to the food at Hogwarts.

We ate and talked. I don't even remember what people were talking about. With a family as huge as mine, there are always a million conversations going on at once and we never were able to focus completely on anything.

Soon it was time to go to bed so Paula and I went upstairs to sleep. We arrived at the room Aunt Ginny used to share with my mum back when they were in school. I had redecorated it of course, but there were still things about it that let me know it was my Aunt's room. The Harpies posters had been charmed to the walls, so I couldn't get rid of them even if I wanted to. The same dresser and desk that she had used and doodled on were in there, as well. It was very cozy and I loved the room. We got dressed in our nightclothes and went to bed, excited for the Christmas morning that would come.

The next day, we awoke bright and early. My youngest cousin, Lucy, had decided to run around the house and wake up all us kids. We gathered in the living room, and like every year, I was amazed at the amount of presents under the tree. Once Grandma came downstairs, she insisted that we open them right away. We began tearing into our gifts, and I got a ton of great stuff.

My mum and dad got me a new set of high-quality quills and brightly colored ink. I was sure it was mostly my mum's idea.

I got the customary Weasley sweater from Grandma, as well as some of her homemade fudge.

Paula got me a bunch of my favorite Honeydukes candies and some insanely cute black high heeled boots from Twilfitt and Tatting's.

Uncle George gave all of us each a huge box of WWW merchandise. I recognized some things like Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Extendable Ears and a few Skiving Snackboxes, but some things must have been new and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what they were for. I was a little interested, though.

"George, you realize you just gave those to a prefect, right? You know she could tell McGonnigall. I bet old Minnie'd be delighted to have a little reunion detention with you," Uncle Bill joked casually.

"Really? I kinda miss that. Do you think you could hook me up, Rose?" Uncle George looked at me so sincerely that if I didn't know him better I'd think he was serious. Might as well have some fun.

"I'm sure it could be arranged, Uncle George." I smiled enthusiastically, and his face instantly fell. Yup, I was actually serious. He'd better be clearing some time in his schedule, detention's on the way.

After all the presents had been opened, Paula and I went outside and talked about anything and everything that came to mind. We were laughing our asses off until we heard a loud distinguishable pop. I looked up and there stood my boyfriend smiling at me, his arm linked with his father's. We didn't have our apparition licenses yet, so he had to come side-along. Draco Malfoy looked very nervous as he glanced around. I got up and ran over to Scorpius, giving him a huge bear hug, which he returned enthusiastically. I stepped away and shook hands with his father. Draco smiled at me fondly.

"You must be Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius looked at me, and I decided it would be a good time to lead him inside.

"Mr. Malfoy, will you be joining us as well?"

"Oh, I had plans to eat with Astoria tonight, but thank you very much. I just came to drop Scorpius by. Also, I don't think it would be a good idea if your father knew I was here…" He looked away sheepishly.

"As bad as it sounds, I do have to agree with that. However, if you keep hiding out, there's no chance anything will ever be able to go forward. Why don't you just come in for a second?"

He sighed. "Just like your mother. Alright, I suppose I could come in for a minute."

I smiled, and asked them to wait a second while I went to get my mother. Paula stayed and made light conversation with them as I ran inside. I found my mother in the kitchen helping grandma Molly in the kitchen.

"Mum?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Um, can I talk to you for a second?"

She looked at me and walked over to a small corner, most likely the only place out of hearing range of the rest of the house.

"What is it, Rose?"

"Well, Scorpius and his father are outside," I told her.

Her eyes widened. "Draco's here, too? Oh, that might be a problem."

"I know, but I just thought, it might be better if he came in as well, might as well get it all over with at once. He can't stay for long anyway, so if he has to escape before Dad socks him in the nose, it's okay. Please, can you go talk to them? Maybe if you come in with them, you can hold Dad off?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try." She followed me outside.

"Mr. Malfoy, this is my mum."

"Ah, Gr-uh Weasley! Lovely to see you again?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, great to see you Draco." He looked a little taken aback at her casual use of his first name. My mum noticed. "I think first names are acceptable. Please call me Hermione."

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Hermione."

"Well, why don't we get this over with. Draco, Scorpius, are you ready?" Wow, my mum can be overly dramatic at times. Then again, this was intense. They nodded grimly, and I couldn't help but snicker a bit, earning a glare form Scorpius.

"Come on, you gotta do it at some point, Scorpius. Now's as good a time as any. You know I'm right." I smiled at him encouragingly, and he smiled weakly back.

We followed my mother to the door, and she opened it. I stepped it, and moved aside. All heads seemed to turn simultaneously towards the door, the surprise on their faces evident. All was silent, until…

"MALFOY?"

**AN: Hehehehehe I'm so evil : ) next chappy up asap, please review. Hope you guys liked this! Especially you, Alexa! 3 xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Dedicated to Kayla :D**

"WHAT?" I cringed. I had expected this reaction from my father, but it was still a blow.

"What the bloody hell is Malfoy doing here?" He looked like he was about to explode. His face was bright red, his fists were tightly clenched, and his eyes were big and menacing. It was quite scary, to be honest. My mother gave him a stern look and motioned for me to start talking.

"Um, daddy… Scorpius is my… boyfriend." I nervously whispered the last part.

"WHAT?"

"Now Ronald… ," my mother tried to reason with him. He wouldn't hear it.

"Don't 'Now Roanald' me! Did you know about this?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"Well, actually, yes. And Rose might have told you as well if she didn't know that you would react this way. It's obnoxious and completely inappropriate."

"Perhaps this was a bad idea…" Mr. Malfoy trailed off.

"You bet it was! You appearing here and telling me your son is dating my daughter! You probably set this up, didn't you? That's it! Get out, Malfoy! And take your _son_ with you!" I couldn't believe it. This was so much worse than I'd imagined it would be.

"Ronald! That is no way to speak to a guest! And on Christmas, too! I'll have a talk with you later." She walked over to Scorpius and his father, who were still standing awkwardly by the door. "I'm _so_ sorry about him. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"That's perfectly alright Mrs. Weasley." He looked at my father. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from you, _Ronald_." He looked back at my mum. "My apologies for interrupting your family gathering, and thank you, Rose, for inviting us even if it didn't go precisely the way you planned. Maybe it'sbest I leave now." He turned, and casually walked out the door, air of confidence still radiating off him. I guess it was in the Malfoy genes.

Scorpius leaned in and whistered, "Maybe I should go, too."

"No! Don't leave. Please," I begged him. He gave a weak smile, and turned to follow his father. I watched him leave, then rounded on my father.

"Dad! Why would you do that? I expected you to be obnoxious and rude, but I didn't think you'd actually kick them out of the house! You're bloody horrible!' I glared at him.

"Rose, he's a Malfoy. You remember the stories we told you. Nothing good ever came out of that family."

"Ugh! You're hopeless!" I turned and ran out the door. The yard was empty. Scorpius had already left.

"Well, this is bloody brilliant," I mumbled to myself. I wouldn't be surprised if Scorpius never spoke to me again. I desperately needed to talk to him. I realized what I had to do. I ran inside and quickly made my way to the fireplace, not looking at anyone. I grabbed a handful of floo powder from the bucket on the mantle, and shouted my destination, two words I never thought I'd say in this circumstance.

"Malfoy Manor!"

I fell out of the fireplace into the Malfoys' sitting room, feeling very dizzy.

"Merlin, I hate floo," I mumbled. I looked around, and saw a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. She must have been Astoria Malfoy, and probably came to see what the crash was.

"Um, hello," I said awkwardly.

"Hello dear… Oh! You must be Rose! Lovely to meet you. I'm Astoria, Scorpius' mum." She held out her hand. I stood up and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you Mrs. Malfoy." I flashed her a sweet smile, which she returned.

Just then I heard a voice call, "Mum! What was it?"

"Oh, Scorpius! Come down here, it's Rose! She came through the floo." Immediately I heard the pounding of footsteps through the house. How long did it take to get to the sitting room? It was then I realized just how _big _the house was. How did just the three of them live here?

Scorpius came running into the room. "Rose!" he greeted me happily. "You weren't supposed to be here. Not that I don't want you here, but what happened? Why aren't you with your family?"

"My father happened, Scorpius. I left because he was being such an arsewipe. I'm really sorry about that by the way."

"It's okay, Rose. I know you didn't mean it to go that way. I'm sorry for leaving, I just thought it was the best thing to do at the moment." He looked ashamed.

"You have no reason to be sorry. You were perfectly polite. My father just needs some time to cool down. He'll get over it eventually. I'm sure of it."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway. "I'm not trying to be rude, but your father never responded to surprises well, and well, he always hated my guts and obviously still does. I don't think there's much of a chance he'll get over something like this. There's just too much bad blood between us. The fact that you tried to fix things is admirable, but I don't think it's going to work out. Your father is too stubborn." He looked weary, like he was remembering a lot of different things at once.

"I agree that he may be the most stubborn man on the face of the earth, but my mother is just as stubborn. My uncles all told me the stories of how long it took them to even admit to themselves that they liked each other, let alone each other. My Uncle Harry particularly had a bunch of stories about their stubbornness. And I'm their daughter, which means I inherited the stubbornness from both of them. Add that to the fact that I'm "his only little girl" and he's a complete pushover when it comes to me only and I'm pretty sure that if I want him to get over it, he will eventually." I smiled victoriously.

"So much like your mother," Mr. Malfoy mumbled as he walked away.

"Well, I'll just leave you two alone for a while." She smiled at us and left gracefully.

"So, uh, do you want to go for a walk?" he asked me sweetly.

"Sure, I guess so."

We set off walking through the house.

"So, how's your break been?" I asked him.

"Not too eventful, I guess. My parents picked me up and we came here. I actually spend more time with the House Elves that with them. It's not that we don't try to spend time together when we can, but my father is a Healer so he works late at St. Mungo's all the time. We get to eat together as a family maybe once a week during the summer. He managed to get a few days off for Christmas so he could spend it with us, but the day after tomorrow he's back to work. I see my mum a lot because she doesn't really work. She just occasionally writes articles for Witch Weekly. She's actually working on her first book right now. We'll see how that goes. How about you? Apart from tonight, I mean."

"It was ok. Paula's staying with us for the first week of break while her family is abroad. She stays with us for a short time over every break, so that's normal. It's really fun, though. Nothing big has really happened so far apart from what you saw tonight. I hope that was the family drama that happened. There's always something. When the whole family gets together for some occasion, we just know something big is gonna happen. Uncle George actually has a pre-family gathering betting pool going on. Well, actually this year two big things happened. Victiore and Teddy are getting married! They just told us last night!" I had almost forgotten! I was so excited!

"That must be really exciting for you. I mean, there must have been a lot of weddings in your family with how big it is, but have you been around for any of them? Or were they all before you?"

"Yeah, I wasn't around for any of them. My parents were the last to get married before this. Can't say I didn't expect it when they told us."

"Yeah, from what my father told me about your parents, I would have expected that, too."

"Yeah."

By now we had reached his bedroom.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked me.

"Sure, I mean, is it ok with your parents?"

"Possibly. If it wasn't, they wouldn't have left us alone together. Besides, what they don't know won't hurt them. Right?"

"I guess…" We walked into his room, and he shut the door. I was a little nervous about being caught, but I was also really excited.

He led me further into the room, and sat down on his bed. He patted the space next to him, and I sat down gingerly. He wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled closer to him. We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm really sorry about tonight. I know I already said that, but I feel just terrible. It was my idea, too. You must think I'm a horrible person. I wouldn't blame you, I feel like one right now."

"Don't say that! Yeah, tonight didn't work out with your family, but it'll blow over eventually. Like you said, with you and your mom bothering him your dad will have to get over it sometime. And when that happens, I'll be glad to forget this and try again. This was just a… trial run. I won't hold it against you. No harm done."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would! I'd do anything for you, you know I would."

I smiled, content. I was so glad that he wasn't angry with me. I don't know if I could bear it if he was. We were silent for a long while, just sitting there contentedly. Then…

"Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He loved me? Well, I mean, I knew that, he had told me the night I broke up with Ernie. But I didn't respond. I couldn't, I didn't really love him yet. Or at least I didn't know I did. After that, he hadn't mentioned it. I figured it was just a random outburst and filed it in the back of my mind. But now, he said it again. And I could hear how genuine he was, perhaps even more so than he was the first time. I couldn't respond then, but now I could. I loved him, and he needed to know that.

"I love you, too."

**AN: Yay! I really like this chapter. Ron's reaction was really fun to write, let me know what you think of it in a review! I have been trying waiting to write this chapter for soo long because I really wanted to write the "I love you"s. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, but let me know what you think! This is my first multi-chap fic and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Okay, I'll stop boring you. Please review!**

**~BurritoTown**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Sadly.**

Rose POV

He looked at me with wide eyes. It was the first time I had ever told him I loved him. I didn't expect him to be this surprised, though. When he told me he loved me, I was completely shocked, but that's because we weren't together yet and I was certain that he hated me. As we spent time together, I fell in love with him. I hadn't told him, but I was sure he knew. I was being very obvious. I guess I shouldn't assume men know things. Oblivious, they're all oblivious. I continued to smile at him and wait for him to come out of his trance-like state. After a while though, he still wasn't moving and I decided I had to do something.

I moved a little closer to him and waved my hand in front of his face. "Scorpius? Scorpius! Hello?" No reply. He was still thinking. I decided to be really mean. Imitating that psycho Chastity's voice exactly, I called, "Scorpy? Scorpy darling?" The response was instantaneous. Immediately he snapped out of it and I found myself pinned beneath him on the bed, my arms above my head.

"Don't _ever_ do that again, do you hear me? For a second I thought she was really here…" He shuddered.

"You were really that out of it? Wow." I laughed.

"Well, yeah. You just told me you loved me. And we've been together, what, a couple months? I've loved you for a long time, since fifth year, but you hated me. Add that to you being your parents' kid and all. I thought it was going to take you several years to figure it out yourself and then another two to admit it. You see my surprise now?"

"Well, now you know that just because I inherited their stubborn tendencies it doesn't mean I also got their obliviousness. Sadly, that's Hugo. I feel genuinely sorry for any girl who will ever want to date him." He laughed at me. Yeah, I was partially joking but I was also serious. Hugo had to be the most oblivious person on the face of the earth.

"Well, what do you want to do now? It's Christmas, you should be with your family. I'm really happy that you came here, and I know why you did, but you really should go home. Your family is going to be heartbroken if you miss Christmas dinner because of this."

"Well, they'll just have to deal with it. They have to learn that I can be with whoever I want and it's not their decision." Yes, I just admitted I was stubborn. Stop rubbing it in.

"I understand that, but if you stay, your father is just going to blame me. He's going to get whoever he can to believe that I'm corrupting you and I won't let you leave me. We can't let that happen, then they will never accept me. The best thing you can do is go home. They'll be glad you came back, and it might improve their idea of me, which is a comforting thought…" Dang it. He was right. And I knew it.

"Alright, I'll go back but I won't be happy about it. I can promise you that."

"Good. I'm glad. I'll see you later I guess. Want me to walk you to the fireplace?"

"Yeah. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. But you're welcome here whenever. We'll be home."

"Thanks, Scorpius." I kissed and grabbed some floo powder. I climbed into the fireplace and shouted, "The Burrow!" and he disappeared. Next thing I knew I was falling out of my grandparents' fireplace onto the old rug. Everyone looked to see what the crash was.

"Rose! Oh thank goodness you're home, dear. I've been trying to keep your cousins from eating _all_ the food. There should be some left. Come eat, you're too thin." Grandma's the same as always.

"Oi! Uncle Ron ate more than us!" Albus yelled from the kitchen. I shook my head.

I walked to the gigantic table and sat down at my place by Al. I stared at my plate, not wanting to speak to anyone. Apparently, what I wanted didn't matter.

"So, Rose. Malfoy, huh? Didn't think you were the rebellious type," James snickered.

"Yeah, and even if you were, I didn't think you'd go that low." Fred high-fived James.

"Rose, I know they're annoying, but you can't blame them for asking. They're just curious, and frankly so am I. And the fact that you just randomly disappeared to his house for a couple hours just made us wonder more," Lily reasoned. But I didn't want to be reasoned with.

"Dammit shut up all of you! Why do you care so much? Merlin, I just wanted to have a nice, civil dinner with my family and boyfriend. But you people are so narrow-minded that you won't let that happen. You're blinded by his last name so you can't see that he's nothing like his father was at his age and he's actually a really good person! And his dad changed, too! You guys can say that it's just dad, but he's just being the most obnoxious and rude about it! You're all secretly thinking a nicer version of the crap he's spewing and it's disgusting!" I stood up and stormed out of the room, knocking over my chair as I went. I knew it was immature, but I was irate. I nearly ran all the way up to my room, ignoring the shouts behind me. I slammed the door and threw myself on the bed and immediately burst out in tears. Why couldn't they just accept things? Everybody nearly worships this family for all the things they've done, but my family is so judgmental of people who fought on the other side of the war, especially the Malfoys. I know the stories, I know that he was horrible to Uncle Harry and my parents, not to mention Professor Longbottom. But that was over 20 years ago! They should be able to get over it by now!

I heard a knock on my door.

"GO AWAY!" I shouted. I did NOT want to see them right now, whoever it was.

"Rose, can I come in? It's mum." Ugh. She was so nosy. But she was the only one who didn't judge them when she saw them today. And I knew she wouldn't leave no matter what I said. Damn stubborn. Grudgingly , I let her in.

"What?" I asked her. I was not in the mood for mommy-daughter time.

"Rose, I understand. Really, I do. But that doesn't mean you can just yell at everyone like that. I know that your father and your uncles have a particularly hard time getting over anything. It was just a shock to them, that's all. They'll get over it eventually. You just have to be patient."

"But I don't want to be patient! It's not that big a deal! Yeah, I'm dating a Malfoy. So what? What's so bad about it that you're making a bigger deal than when Dominique did Wizard Pot in her 7th year?"

"Rose, Listen. You're being irrational. Yes, your father is making a big deal about this. But he makes a big deal about everything, you know that. I've been talking to him. He'll come around eventually. In the meantime, I think you should apologize to everyone for accusing them all of not being able to accept things. Some people will have problems with it, but your family will always stick by you. Your father is not the only one who is going to be difficult. Other people will be worse and you need to be aware of that. You need to be able to forgive them all, and everything will work out eventually. You have no guarantee that this will last, but if it does, you're in for a whole lot of ugly coming at you from a never-ending parade of stupid. (**AN: Hairspray FTW**) You'll need your family with you."

"Mum, it's not like we're getting _married_ or anything. We're just dating. And my only problem right now is dad. And no, I'll apologize to everyone else, but not him. I won't apologize to him until he apologizes to Scorpius. Which he'll never do."

'Honey, I know you're angry. He infuriates me sometimes, too. But he always comes around. I know that he'll eventually see that he's not being logical and he'll stop this. You just need to be patient. And if you apologized to him, it might make him apologize sooner. After all, you did directly insult him in front of everyone tonight."

"No. There is absolutely no way I'm apologizing first. I have nothing to be sorry for. He was horrible to me and my boyfriend. That's the end of it." I glared hard at my mother. I wasn't giving in. She could see that. She sighed, and left the room. I lay on my bed, thinking. Though I hated to admit it, my mum was right. I needed to forgive my family for everything because I would need them in the future. And I would apologize. But not to my father. He needed to be able to accept Scorpius. I would never forgive him until he did.

I left my room and went downstairs. Everyone immediately quieted. I cleared my throat. "Well, uh. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for accusing all you guys of thinking stuff. Even if you were, it doesn't really matter what you're thinking if you can put it aside when it matters. So, I'm sorry for everything I said earlier. Except you, dad. You were horrible earlier and I will not apologize to you until you apologize to me. _And _Scorpius. Goodnight." I couldn't be there anymore. I quickly went back into my room, before I could get pissed again. I said everything I needed to. I went to sleep thinking about whether my dad actually would apologize. I was pretty sure he would, but you never know…

**AN: I'm soooooo sorry for the wait! It actually hasn't been that long but compared to how I was doing before, it was terrible. I had two tests this week, and I had writer's block. I'm really sorry, and I'll work extra hard to get the next chapter out soon, hopefully by tonight or tomorrow. Thank you so much for sticking with my story, and review! It keeps me encouraged.**

**~BurritoTown**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter **

Scorpius POV

I led Rose to the fireplace and watched her leave sadly. I missed her already. I knew it was incredibly sappy, but I really felt like that. I loved her, and I just found out she loved me back. I was the best feeling in the world. I went back to my room and lay on my bed, waiting for dinner to be ready.

My family didn't do Christmas nearly as elaborately as other families. Yes, we exchanged gifts and had a big dinner. We spend the holiday together when we could. But we didn't get a giant tree, we didn't put up lights, and we definitely didn't have a big party. Who could we invite? People wanted to be with their families, and almost no one would ever want to be associated with Malfoys. My grandfather was in Azkaban, as he had been since before I was born and my grandmother had been too ashamed to show her face in public. She had gone to live on a distant tropical island somewhere and we never heard from her again. I could see my father missed her, but there was nothing we could do. The only family we had was my grandmother's sister Andromeda and her grandson Teddy Lupin and they always spent the holidays with the Weasley/Potters. So, we kept to ourselves.

I was determined to change that. My family was discriminated against for things they had little to do with. So my father had done horrible things while he was at Hogwarts. A lot of people had done that, and he had a good reason. He had only agreed because he had no other choice. His father had a deep loyalty to Voldemort, and my father had to do the things he was asked to or he would die, as would his family. He had changed after the war, and I was proof. People always though I would be just like my father at his age, but I wasn't. Yes, I was arrogant and cocky and hopelessly rude at times. But that couldn't be helped. Some things are genetic. And I'm fairly certain all hormonal teenage boys are arrogant and cocky to some degree. But I never did anything to anyone. I might have hexed Rose more times than I can count, but I never did anything that would hurt her or cause any permanent damage. It was just fun stuff, and come to think of it most of the stuff I used came from her uncle's shop. People thought they had the right to make assumptions.

I was determined to prove them wrong.

A house-elf arrived in my room and told me that dinner was ready, so I went downstairs. I walked into the dining room expecting to see my parents waiting with a big dinner on the table, but they weren't there. The food was on the table and everything was ready, but their chairs were empty. I looked around, confused.

"Hello, Scorpius. We finally meet." I looked around the room, trying to find the voice. I finally saw a tall man standing in the corner. I immediately started backing away.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I was genuinely scared. I had no idea who this man was, and he was standing in my house. I knew it made me sound like a pussy, but I had learned to always be on my guard.

"You're catious. Very good. My name is Scabior." That name definitely rung a bell. Where had I heard it before. Suddenly I knew.

"You worked for fenir Greayback! You fought for Voldemort in the war! But you fell off that bridge while fighint Professor Longbottom! Everyone's heard the story! You're supposed to be dead! What do you want?" I was terrified now.

"Ever heard of a cushioning charm? I've just been in hiding, you insolent boy. But I'm not here to talk about that. Now, I am aware that your daddy has… wimped out, shall we say? He has given up. But this is not over. The dark lord may be gone, but our job is far from complete. If not for Potter, we would have won. We would be on top, and all the filthy muggles and mudbloods would be in their rightful place."

I stared at him. How, after all this time, could he still be this way? I thought people had to change over this many years. I guess not.

"How can you say that? And why are you here anyway? No one here is going to help you. What do you want? Where is my father? And my mother? What have you done with them?" I was suddenly much more defensive.

"Don't worry. No harm will come to them. I have simply removed them from this little conversation. They must not know I was here. I intend to only do what must be done. Your father has given up. You are proof of that. I will give you one chance. Will you join me, and seek revenge on the world which has been so cruel?" Was he crazy? Well, years in Azkaban can make you so. Even without dementors.

"Now why in the name of Merlin would I do that?"

"Very well. You have made your choice. Sadly, you have made the wrong one and you and your family must be punished. That should be easy enough. If my sources are correct, I will not even have to do any extra work and you will suffer as well as Potter and his _family_."

"Oh yeah? And just how do you think you'll manage that?" He must have been crazy. What plan could he possibly have that could punish all of the Weasleys and Potters, and me at the same time?

"Oh, you'll see. You see, Potter is nothing without his friends and family. This is a fact, he could have not possibly have accomplished anything on his own. This means that those close to him must mean more to him than anything in the world. They are all like that, I learned that simply by being in school with them. The whole family, they are closer than any other. I hear that you, Scorpius, are involved with a certain Weasley. I have been watching, you see. You and even your parents have become quite fond of her, even in the short time they have known her. Daughter of the famed Ronald and Hermione Weasley, correct? Rose, if I'm not mistaken. Yes. You see, this poses a problem. You, boy, should have known better. A girl such as this has no chance. I needed a target, and she was perfect. The only daughter of the two most important people on their side of the war besides Harry Potter himself, and the most important for his success. She is a perfect target. You must have known that someone like her could not be safe from harm. But you managed to become involved with her. And now it makes her, if possible, even better. You have doomed her." What? What was he saying? This guy made no sense! And he kinda rambled… But he was going to hurt Rose! He wanted to kill Rose to punish her whole family, and mine. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't. No way in bloody fucking hell.

"No! You can't do that!" I tried to sound tough, but it came out as more of a desperate cry. "Please! I'll do anything, just don't hurt her!"

"But she is perfect. You have just proven my point. I have no further business here. You have given me what I wanted. Good evening." He turned and ran. I tried desperately to follow him, but he was alarmingly fast and before I could catch him, he disapparated.

What was I going to do? I had to warn Rose! And the Aurors! I was so happy this would only require one trip. I quickly made my way to the fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder, I quickly shouted, "The Burrow!"

I slammed into the carpet and was met with their party in full swing. She could have easily disappeared without someone noticing. I ran to find someone to tell. I found Hermione Weasley in the kitchen.

"Mrs. Weasley! Please listen to me! Rose is in danger!" She was instantly alert. You had to hand it to the woman, she knew stuff.

"Scorpius! What do you mean, Rose is in danger? What kind of danger?"

"Oh, uh, I guess… MORTAL PERIL! Scabior's after her!"

"Scabior? What? He's supposed to be dead! You're not making sense."

"That's what I thought. But he's alive, he was just in hiding. Plotting his revenge or some shit. He just showed up at the Manor, and he's done something with my parents, too. I don't know where they are. But he said he was coming after Rose! Do you know where she is?"

"I haven't seen her for a while. She was with Albus last time I checked."

"Come on, we have to find her!"

Hermione managed to get everyone's attention very quickly. Harry and Ron had their Auror faces on, and the party had stopped. Harry spoke first.

"Scorpius, we need you to tell us everything you know."

"Okay, Scabior showed up at my house tonight. He took my parents somewhere, and told me that he had been in hiding plotting his revenge on you guys for basically ruining his life. He wanted to get to you guys using what was most important to you, and I guess he spent enough time with Greyback that he decided going for people's children was the best choice. And since he hates my father now, too, for turning on the Dark Lord he wanted to punish my whole family as well. He figured since Rose is close to all of us, he's go after her. Then he just ran off, so I can here to tell you guys."

All of their faces were identical masks of shock. Again, Harry was first to recover.

"Thank you, Scorpius. Has anyone seen Rose?" Everyone shook their heads. "When was the last time anyone saw her?"

"Well, I saw her go out to get some fresh air a bit ago. But I don't remember her coming back inside," Albus said.

"Come on, we have to look!" Everyone poured outside.

"Rose? Rose! ROSE!"

"Rose!"

"Rosie?"

"ROSE!"

**AN: Hahahaha I'm so evil. Needed so e good old death eater drama in there. Not sure what I think of this chapter, so please tell me what you think in a review. If you hate it, I might be able to rewrite it. Let me know. Next chapter up soon.**

**~BurritoTown**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Wow I'm really bad at remembering this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I never have, and I never will. If I did, I wouldn't have killed Dobby.**

Rose POV

"Hey, Albus I just need to go outside and get some fresh air, alright?" It was so stuffy in there! I love my family and all, but these gatherings take forever to recover from.

"Yeah, sure Rose. You don't have to ask me."

"I know, but I was hanging out with you and it would be rude to just leave," I tried to say, but he was already fully engrossed in his conversation with James. Well, so much for trying to be polite. I walked through the kitchen and eventually made my way through the crowds of people and outside.

I stepped out the door and was met with the cool winter air. Some people would be uncomfortable out here in this weather, but I found it rather peaceful. The way the snow covered the ground like a fluffy white blanket and the flakes continued to drift slowly down towards the ground, blowing in the wind. It was quite beautiful, and it always gave me a strong feeling of serenity.

I sat out there for a long time, just relaxing and watching the snow. I had no idea how long I had been outside, but suddenly I got this feeling that I was being watched. I couldn't explain it, but I just had this feeling in my gut like something bad was about to happen. I sat very still and tried to play it off. After all, Weasleys are known for our active imaginations. But then again, we also can almost sense trouble, how else can you explain my twin uncles?

I decided I should probably go back inside, so I stood up and turned around to walk back to the house. Just then I heard a crunch of snow behind me. I froze and started to turn around to look and see if someone was there, but before I could do anything I felt a hand wrap around my arm and with a loud crack we had disapparated.

When my feet hit solid ground a couple seconds later, I looked around but it was pitch dark. As my eyes started to adjust, I could vaguely make out the shape of a large building before everything went black.

I woke up in a small dark place. I was certain I had never been here before. From what I could see, I was in a small shed. It was still the middle of the night and there wasn't any light coming in, though I doubted there would be light even if it was noon. There was a musty smell that suggested the place was very old and had not been used for years. My first thought was the shrieking shack, but I had been there before and this was not familiar at all. Suddenly I heard footsteps, and I quickly shut my eyes pretending to still be out.

"Don't think you can fool me with that. I know you're awake." Well, there goes that. I opened my eyes and sat up, instantly wishing I hadn't. I instantly got a splitting headache. I must have been lying down longer than I thought.

"What do you want from me?" If this mysterious person was going to kidnap me, I had a right to know why, right?

"Well, isn't it obvious? Who are your parents?" I thought about it, and it did make sense. My parents and aunts and uncles had always told us to be cautious, and that there would always be a select few people who would have something against us. He wanted to use me to get back at my family. But why me specifically? I thought Uncle Harry's kids would be higher on the hit list. I mean I'm glad he went for me and not one of them, but I didn't understand.

"Okay, I get your point. But out of all my cousins, why did you choose me? Is there a specific reason, or was I just the easiest to grab in the moment?" That could have been it. I had placed myself outside, alone at night in easy reach. Why had I been so stupid?

"Oh no, I need you. You are the perfect person to come after. Your parents are the two people really behind Harry Potter's success, and you're their first daughter. But that's not the only reason. You see, another family hurt me as well. This family used to be on my side, but they turned on me, and all traitors must be punished. The Malfoys. And if I'm not mistaken, taking you and you alone will be sufficient to cause pain to both, with a minimal amount of work."

I could not believe what I was hearing. He wanted to kill me to get to my family, _and_ Scorpius. I couldn't let that happen. I had to get out of here. But there was no way. I was tied up, and the only way out was the door that he was currently sitting in front of. Life sucks Merlin's balls sometimes. Oh my gosh. I've never thought like that before. I guess I think like Albus when I'm in tough situations. Oh well.

"So you're going to use me to hurt my family and my boyfriend? Why? Where would you get that idea?"

"I thought it up one day, and I knew it would work. And they have no way of finding us, we're far away from anywhere they would think to look. So don't think for an instant that they're going to bust in here and rescue you, because they can't. I've taken you where they'll never find you." Yeah. That's what they all say. Still, I was a bit nervous. I had no idea where I was, how was anyone else supposed to find me?

"I know. But they'll try. And just so you know, your plan won't work. I won't let it. I'll never let it happen. You can't hurt me, or the ones I love." Okay, I was being optimistic. But I heard that if you go at something with a good attitude, you have a better chance of success. Let's hope that applies here.

Scorpius POV

Finally, everyone seemed to be focusing. But we were still at the bloody burrow! Why weren't we out there, looking for her? Why did everyone seem so calm? Rose could be dying, and they didn't seem to care.

I got up and started pacing frantically, trying to shake the image of a cold and lifeless Rose out of my head. How had I let this happen? It was all my fault. If I had stayed with her at the burrow, Scabior couldn't have gotten to her so quickly. And I would have been able to protect her. Or if I had let her stay at the manor, she would even be safer there with me than she was now. How had I been so stupid?

"Scorpius, dear, please stop pacing," said Rose's mum. "We're all just as worried as you are, but pacing and blaming ourselves will get us nowhere. Please come sit down." How could she do that? Just take one look at me and know what I was thinking? I knew Rose could do that, but I figured it was just because she knew me so well. I guess she inherited it from her mother.

"I'm sorry! I'm just a little fucking worried! She could be dead and we're not doing anything!"

"I know, dear. Believe me, I do. But please be patient. We need to see if we can figure out anything about where she might be before we can go find her. I promise we'll go as soon as we find something. I'm terrified that something might be happening to her, but panicking will get us nowhere." I sighed. She was right.

"Okay, I see your point. But it doesn't stop me from panicking. Who knows what could be happening to her!" I was getting more frantic by the second.

"Shut up Malfoy! You're not helping!" Ron Weasley shouted across the room. Well. Isn't he moody. Wait, so am I. Hurgh he's worried, too. I shut up. Harry and Ron were the only people talking for a long time, trying to figure something out, when I thought of something.

"I just remembered something! When I was at the Manor, my parents had disappeared, but Scabior said he hadn't done anything to them, he had just made sure they couldn't hear the 'conversation.' Maybe if we go to the manor, we could find them and see if he told them anything useful. He had no problem with spilling his guts to me. And even though he said they were gone so that they wouldn't know, I'm sure he would have told them something. He seemed like a big blabbermouth."

"Scorpius is right." Well, Harry Potter backs me up. That has to count for something.

"What? You're actually listening to him? He's a Malfoy!"

"Ronald!" Wow, she does say that a lot.

"Ron, yes he's a Malfoy. But he obviously cares about Rose, and the rest of us can see that he's nothing like his father was at his age. Why can't you?"

"Well, I, uh…"

"Ron, I know this is hard for you, but you need to just get over yourself and learn to accept him as a person. You may not ever get along with his father, but you should try to at least tolerate him, for Rose's sake," said Mrs. Potter. Oh great, now they were talking about me like I wasn't even there.

"Yeah, speaking of Rose…" I trailed off, knowing they'd get the message. Immediately everyone was up and moving towards the fireplace. We all grabbed some floo powder, and soon Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus and I were tumbling into my living room. I looked up and saw my father sitting in a chair, a cup of tea in one hand, staring down at me with wide eyes.

"Scorpius, son? What are you doing? And why have you brought the 'Golden Trio'?"

**Oh my gosh I am soooooooo sorry for the wait! I had massive writers block and two tests this week, and I had to get ready for the easter service at my church which my youth group is doing, so I had almost no time to write but I promise to try really hard to get the next chapter up faster. Please read and review!**

**~BurritoTown**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I'm SOOOOOOOO sorry for the wait! It's just, it's the end of the year and there's always something. A test, two tests, a paper, all three at the same time, whatever. I'm trying to get these to you as fast as I can, bear with me. Here's chapter 14.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not JK Rowling or Warner Brothers. I am just a sad teenage girl who has nothing better to do than write fanfiction.**

Scorpius POV

"_Scorpius, son? What are you doing? And why have you brought the 'Golden Trio'?"_

"Father, Rose is gone!"

"What?" He was immediately alert. "What happened?"

"It was Scabior, he took her somewhere!"

"Scabior? But he's supposed to be dead."

"Well, he's not, obviously because he just came and kidnapped my girlfriend!"

"Scorpius, you need to calm down. I understand you're worried, we all are, but panicking is not going to get us anywhere," Hermione stated. It was repetitive, but it worked. I calmed down a bit.

"Okay, but she could be hurt! We need to find her!"

"Scorpius is correct, and that's why we came here, Mr. Malfoy. Scorpius told us that Scabior first came here to threaten him and give him the opportunity to join him before he abducted Rose, so we were wondering if he told you anything, or you heard something. Do you know anything?" Wow, Rose was right about her Uncle Harry. He could instantly go from happy joking family guy to serious head auror in a matter of minutes.

"I'm afraid not. I can honestly tell you I know nothing, Auror Potter. This is the first I've heard of this. I'm sorry. But I do remember some instances where I was working near Scabior during the war, and I do know a few things about how he works. He is very tricky with his projects, he seems stupid because he goes and tells people before he does anything, but he only does that if he's sure he will be able to get his job done before the person can act on their knowledge. And he never kills anyone right away, he usually takes them to some far off place no one would think of looking and hides out. He doesn't have any usual place, it varies, but it tends to be some run-down shack of a place that no one would think to look. Sometimes he will reveal the location to ask for a ransom, but under these circumstances I don't think that's very likely. That's all I know, I apoligize."

The aurors and Hermione stayed very quiet and listened attentively the whole time my father was talking. I can say one thing for Rose's father, when someone's in a danger he doesn't mess around. I know how much he must hate having to trust my father, but it's his only way to get information at this point. Maybe this will be good for me and Rose, if our fathers can learn to work together. I pushed those thoughts out of my head. That would be great, but all that matters now is Rose.

"Thank you for that, Mr. Malfoy," said Harry. "If you don't mind, I think it would be a good diea for you to come with us. Though you have said you don't know anything about this particular circumstance, I think it would be good to have you with us because of your experience with Scabior, plus it's always good to have a healer with you on these types of things."

My father nodded. "Yes, I agree Mr. Potter. If it is alright with all of you, I will accompany you. I will try my best to assist you in any way I can, and I hope my healer skills are not needed." I could see how stiff and formal my father was acting, which was not normal for him. He was usually a very easygoing guy, and he was determined to get back all the respect our family used to have. But unlike the previous Malfoys, he wanted to get our honor not through money and power, but by being a genuinely good person. I guess even though he worked so hard to change his position in society, being casual with his old school enemies still isn't working. I don't blame him, I would feel this awkward if Rose and my relationship hadn't… changed.

We left my home and I asked, "So, dad you said he would take her somewhere deserted. Any ideas on where we should look? We don't have time to just go looking in every deserted place in the country you know."

"Well, I only know he would most likely take her someplace far off where no one would think to look."

"That's helpful, Malfoy!"

"I'm trying to be helpful, Weasley! I would think you'd appreciate it!" Okay, so much for our parents working well together.

"Wait, Ron! I completely forgot about the clock!" exclaimed Hermione.

"What clock, my mum's? It won't help us Mione , her name's just gonna be stuck on 'mortal peril' which we already know!"

"No, I mean, she gave everyone a clock, and one night I decided to tamper with it. It's been in my office for a long time, but I finally got it to not just show the general idea of where someone is but it will show a picture of their actual location. Maybe we can figure out where Rose is!"

Oh how convenient. Why the bloody hell didn't she think of that before? "Great, let's go." I quickly disapparated. I appeared in front of Rose's parents' house in Godric's hollow. The adults came immediately after me and we ran inside. Hermione led the way to her study and we quickly clambered in. I looked at the clock under rose's name, but I couldn't see much. The small screen was showing what looked like the inside of a small shed. It was the middle of day, but there was only a little bit of light shining through. I could only see that the shed looked deserted and nearly bare, only with a few pieces of miscellaneous junk here and there. Just then, something moved and I saw the face of the man I never wanted to see again in my life. He was coming closer to the screen, which I could only assume was showing us the room as Rose could see it. That meant he was approaching Rose!

"Okay, so my dad was right. He did take her to some abandoned place. But we don't even know where it is!"

"Yes, Scorpius dear, but we can still apparate. Just picture the shed in your mind."

"Does that really work? Can you apparate somewhere without knowing where it is?"

"I know it sounds strange, but we've done it before. You just have to concentrate on the shed a little harder than normal. Or if you're worried you can side-along with me." What? Okay, I get what Rose meant about her mom. She was so sweet and giving it was almost annoying.

"No, I'm fine. " I quickly disapparated before anyone could try to talk me into just going side-along.

I appeared in an unfamiliar field covered with deep snow. At first I wondered if I had made a mistake, and I was about to go back, when I saw a small run-down shed nearly covered in the white blanket of snow that was everywhere. I made my way toward it and pressed my ear to the wall very quietly. I could barely make out small voices.

"You can't hurt me. I know my family is looking for me and in only minutes I'll be out of here. Or would you rather I kick your ass now?" That's my Rose, always obnoxiously strong. I just hope it doesn't get her hurt this time.

"You think so, huh? I doubt they'll find you here. I left no clues. They know you've been taken, which will hurt them, but they have no idea how to find you." Yeah, right. He's talking about the Weasleys, not to mention Harry Potter. This guy really was an idiot. I heard a few pops behind me and whipped around, relieved to see that it was just the parents.

"Scorpius, why didn't you wait for us? It was very irresponsible for you to leave like that!"

"Mrs. Weasley, as much as I appreciate the message, I do not believe it is your place to be scolding my son. Scorpius, what she said."

Wow, my dad's classy.

They all slowly approached the shed and we stood there for a little bit, getting our bearings. I placed my head against the wall again.

"You see, they aren't coming."

"Yes they are! I know they will! You can't hurt me!"

"Oh shut it, you know I can." Was he about to do what I thought he was about to do? "_Cruc-_"

I slammed into the shed. I would NOT let that happen. All reason cast aside, I tackled Scabior. I was much stronger than him, and he was old, so it didn't take much effort, but he had his wand out so I was still on my guard. The adults had followed me and they were all checking on Rose. I pulled out my wand and put a quick body-bind on Scabior, and I ran over to see her. Her condition was a lot worse than I'd expected. She was tied up with actual ropes, which looked very rough and scratchy. She had lots of small cuts all over her face, and some deeper ones I could see on her limbs. She was bruised in many places and her arm was twisted at a sickly angle. I immediately dropped to my knees and untied her, and pulled he rinto a lose embrace, being careful to avoid her broken arm.

"Oh Rosie I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have gotten here sooner. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Scorpius," Her voice was so small. I wondered how much she had been through before I got here. "If it's anybody's fault, it's mine. I was the one who went outside alone at night and stayed out for who knows how long. I was irresponsible."

I pulled assay from her and forced her to make eye contact. "No. There is no way that this is your fault. Don't ever think that. Ever. If anyone's to blame, it's me. End of story."

"But-"

"No, Rosie. You were kidnapped. That isn't remotely your fault." I leaned down and gave her a small kiss. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

**AN: Yeah, not my best chapter, but I didn't want you guys to have to wait any more. If you have suggestions, review and maybe I'll edit this but for now, this is how it is. I'll try my hardest to get the next one out faster, but there's only two weeks on school left and it's hell. So the next one may not be until my summer vacation starts after the 27****th****, but I'll try to get 15 out before then. Until then, R&R and love y'all!**

**~BurritoTown**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Oh my gosh I'm so sorry for taking so long, but I had finals, and papers, and I never had any time. Of course now it's the first day of summer break and I have a freaking cold. Oh well, at least it gives me time to write, since I can't really do anything else. Did I mention the power went out and it fried the cable box? No TV until Tuesday. Hopefully I can get more chapters in that time haha. Anyway, enough of my rambling, onto the chapter!**

Rose POV

Scorpius and his father tried to lift me off the dirty floor of the shack as carefully as possible. I wrapped my good arm around Scorpius' neck to try to make it easier, but I felt a shooting pain go through me and suddenly everything went black.

I felt awful. There wasn't a single part of my body that wasn't aching. I lay in my bed in St. Mungo's feeling completely useless. I had thought I could defend myself, but I couldn't, and if it wasn't for Scorpius, I would most likely be dead right now. I looked to my left, and there he was, his head resting on his arms on the side of my bed. I could have laughed at how adorable he looked, but it would probably really hurt with my cracked ribs. I reached over and carefully brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. He immediately shot awake.

"What? What happened? Wh- Oh! Rose you're awake!" He visibly relaxed, and smiled.

"Yup. And now so are you." I shot him a grin, and tried to move closer to him, resulting in a huge jolt of pain shooting through my stomach. I grimaced.

"Rose, are you okay? You had a lot of broken bones, you shouldn't move like that." He scooted closer and leaned on my bed again. I started playing with his hair. "I was really worried about you, you know? You could have died!"

"But I didn't," I replied.

"Don't joke about it, I was terrified that I wasn't going to be able to find you, and you would be hurt, a lot worse than this, and it would be all my fault! This is still my fault. I should have found you sooner. I should have…"

"It's not your fault," I cut him off. "You're not my Uncle Harry, don't go blaming yourself for everything. I get enough complaints about that from my Aunt Ginny, and I don't want to inflict the same suffering on my children and nieces and nephews. None of this was your fault, it wasn't anybody's fault. Nobody knew it would happen. If you have to blame someone, blame Scabior. Speaking of which, what happened to him?"

"He's taken care of. Your dad and Uncle got him sent off to Azkaban for kidnapping and violent acts on a minor first thing after we left that awful shack. You don't have to worry about him coming after anyone for a long time."

"Thank dead wizard god. But, what about the others? It's not just him, there are plenty more out there, and they would want to get to us too! What-" he quickly captured my lips with his, effectively making me lose my train of thought. The kiss was very short, and he soon pulled back.

"We'll deal with that when we come to it. None of us will make the same mistakes, and I'll make sure nothing like this happens to you ever again. I promise." He shot me one of his adorable grins. I couldn't help but smile back. It was like he had banished all my worries with that one simple smile.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About 48 hours, pretty long but I've heard about people who were out for much longer than that. You had some damage to your spine, we're lucky it wasn't too serious, and there won't be any permanent problems. I was so worried when my dad told me, I took like three hours to calm down. According to my dad, it was hilarious. You should have seen it." We stayed silent for a few minutes.

"I stayed with you, you know."

"What?"

"In here. I came in here with you and I never left. I wanted to be here when you woke up." He looked away, embarrassed. I thought it was adorable.

"Really?" He nodded with a small smile on his lips. "You are the sweetest person I have ever met. Hands down. How did I never notice that before?"

"I would assume you were too busy hating my guts."

"Right. Sorry about that by the way. I blame it on the years of 'beat Malfoy in every subject, don't get too friendly, Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood' being ingrained into my skull. I'm pretty sure my dad is completely incapable of letting go of a grudge."

"Don't worry about it. My dad was the same way. I just didn't listen to him." He grinned at me, and I flashed him a smile. I stared into his eyes. I loved the blue-gray color and how they would look more blue or more gray depending on his mood. Now they were a very light blue with a tinge of silver, so I could tell he was happy and calm. That was my favorite shade.

"Oh I forgot to mention, your family is outside. They're all in the waiting area waiting for you to wake up. I was supposed to tell them if you came to, but I guess I was just too selfish to actually do it."

"That's ok, it was actually nice to get used to being awake before the chaos that is my family rains down on me, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I haven't even known your family for more than a couple days, and I can tell it must be really… exciting when you all get together like this."

"Exciting? Yes, I guess you could say that. More like insanity, but I suppose exciting works, too." I laughed, and he joined in. "But I think we should let them know I'm up, so they stop worrying. I can just imagine my mom and grandma freaking out right now."

"Okay, I'll go tell them." He got up and made his way to the door. In a matter of seconds, my room was flooded with people. My mother and grandma got to my bed first.

"Rosie! Oh, I was so worried! Are you okay? Do you need anything? I-"

"I'm fine mom, I swear."

"Are you hungry Rose, dear? I can get you some-"

"No grandma, I'm good. Thanks though."

"Rose!" I looked past my frantic mother and dear old grandma and I saw Paula and Mina running at me.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Paula asked me. "I wish I could have helped you! Oh, I feel like such a bad friend now!"

"No, it's fine. There was nothing you could have done."

"But we still wish we could have helped," Mina said. Paula nodded in agreement.

"Well thanks for caring so much, but really, I'm just happy to see you guys now. And I don't think I would have liked you to see me back there." I reached out to hug them, and noticed that my bad arm was completely healed. Oh how I loved magic. They hugged me tightly, and then stepped back to allow more family members to greet me. The hours dragged on, my extensive family obsessing over me the entire time.

Eventually, hospital hours ended. A nurse came into the room and was a little shocked by how many people were in there. Though the rules about the number of visitors didn't apply to my family, it must have still been surprising to walk into a room and see them all there. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are now over. I don't care that you're all family, we need to keep her overnight to make sure she's coming along normally and there are no complications and that requires being able to cross the room without shoving. Out." Okay, I officially loved this nurse. My family's great and all, but I was getting really sick of them. Everyone grumbled, but filed out in a surprisingly orderly fashion. Scorpius squeezed my hand and kissed me quickly, but then he too had to leave. Though I hated to see him leave, I could tell he really needed to shower after spending two days in a hospital room with me. Soon the only person left was my father.

"Rose, I can't help but blame myself for this. If I hadn't yelled at you and been so immature, you wouldn't have been sulking outside for him to grab."

"I don't blame you, dad. You were just trying to protect me. But scorpius isn't like his dad was at his age, and if you got to know his dad, he's changed, too. They're not like the Malfoys you grew up with. Draco Malfoy did change after the war, and he raised a wonderful son and you need to see that because I'm not going to let you control my opinions of people anymore."

"I know Rose, and I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't see past what they were back then. But you're right about Scorpius, he's a good bloke, I see that now. The way he was acting from the moment we started looking for you, until you were safely in this bed with all your injuries treated, showed me that. He's a good kid, and he really loves you. I doubt I'll ever be all buddy-buddy with his dad, but what we went through a couple days ago made me think of Scorpius differently. He's a decent guy Rose, and I'm glad you have him. Even if the idea of you with a Malfoy bothers me, I'll live." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My dad was giving me his approval? "But if he ever does anything to hurt you, I swear I will wring his slimy neck."

"Thanks dad. And I promise, you won't have to."

"For his sake, I hope not." With that my dad left the room. I lay in my bed, thinking about how well this worked out for me. All it took for my dad to give his approval was for me to get in a bit of mortal peril. Who knew? For once I fell asleep content that life was working out the way it should.

**AN: Again, sorry about how long it took, but was it worth the wait? I tried to make it a little longer this time to make up for the break. This was the last chapter, but I might add an epilogue, or do a sequel. Let me know in a review what you think I should do. And thanks for sticking with me through this story, I love you all. Reviews mean so much, especially at the end of a story, so please take the time to give me a little feedback. Was this worth reading? Was it a waste of time? Let me know so I can improve for the future.**

**Lots of Love**

**~BurritoTown**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: As requested, here is the epilogue. I hope you guys like it.**

I walked to the Great Hall early Saturday morning. I was the last day we would be at school until next year. I couldn't believe we only had one year left at Hogwarts! As I entered the hall, I walked over and said hi to Scorpius. I couldn't believe all that had happened this year. At the beginning of term, I hated his guts and now we not only got along but we were actually together, and most likely would be for a long time. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that by winter holidays I would be dating Scorpius Malfoy, I would have said they were bloody fucking crazy. Now however, I can't remember ever being happier.

Our relationship caused quite a stir when we publicized it when we came back from winter holidays. We got through the worst part, telling my family and with a lot of work they eventually all warmed up to Scorpius. But everyone else at Hogwarts was completely taken by surprise when we walked into school holding hands. It was completely unexpected. I guess we kept up the hating each other façade pretty well. Though some people were more obnoxious than others, with the entire Potter-Weasley clan backing us up there weren't really any problems. Though having a large family can be annoying, it can also be really helpful when you need someone to back you up.

I sat down next to my boyfriend and pulled a plate toward me. Though the houses still had separate tables, it was a common sight to find me at the Slytherin table. Lots of people ignored the house tables and only sat with their houses during feasts.

"So Scor, what do you plan on doing this summer?"

"Well, I'm going to do a summer internship in the auror program. Even though I'm not out of school yet, I'm turning 17 before the program starts and since it's only during summer they said I could do it. Even if your family approves of me now, there's still lots of people who don't. My father tried to help people and clear our name by becoming a Healer, and I want to do the same and become an auror. Maybe then people will stop judging me on my last name and instead on my character. I know that there are always going to be people who will judge, but if I can lessen the numbers in any way then I will." I always knew that he wanted to service the community, but I didn't think he'd be working for my dad and uncle.

"And just when I thought my dad couldn't like you any more. You saved my life, you support the Chudley Cannons, and now you're going to work for him. You really are totally awesome."

"Well of course I am. I have to be, otherwise how could I have competed with you all these years."

I laughed. "Were you complimenting yourself or me?"

"I don't really know. Maybe both?" We both laughed at that. I forked some eggs into my mouth and chewed contentedly. "What about you?"

"Well, I don't know yet. I mean, I really don't know what I want to do once I leave school. I was thinking about doing something in magical law like magical law like my mum, or maybe being a reporter like Aunt Ginny. I'd really like to do something original, something that no one else in my family has done, but with so many family members that's nearly impossible. So I'm just going to work for my Uncle George for the summer and earn a little extra money to put towards whatever I want to do."

"If you look hard enough, there's bound to be something."

"Yeah? I doubt it." We laughed.

"Well, whatever you do, I know you'll be great at it."

"Thanks," I leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm tightly around me. "And I know you'll be a brilliant auror."

"You think so?"

"Yep. YOU were the one that found me when Scabior kidnapped me," He flinched and I squeezed his hand. "YOU wrested him down and bound him while everyone else just worried about me. You've already proven yourself. Hell, you were more useful in that mission that the two professionals."

"I was, wasn't I? I guess I'm just awesome that way." I smacked his chest lightly and he kissed my head.

I looked up and saw Paula and Mina walking over with Lorcan and Lysander.

"Hey Rose!" Paula plopped down next to me and pulled Lorcan with her, and Mina and Lysander sat across from us. "So, what have you guys been up to?" Mina asked.

"We were just talking about what we're going to do this summer. You know, next year is the last year of school and we need to get ready for the future. Scorp's doing an internship at the auror academy. I don't really know what I want to do yet, but I hope I can figure it out soon, and I'm going to work in my uncle's shop for some extra gold. What are you guys planning on doing?"

Paula rolled her eyes. "Rose, we're not done with school yet. You don't need to be so worried about that now. We've got another whole year of school to get all that future stuff sorted out, now I just want to relax. I'm going to spend the summer just hanging out, swimming, tanning, sneaking off with Lorcan, you know. Making the most of the last bit of teenage freedom I have before I leave school and my family kicks me out. Plus I'm of age now, so I can get away with a lot more."

"Okay, but don't come crying to me when you're unemployed and your parents won't let you come back home. I won't let you live with me."

"Yes you will." She smirked at me.

"Okay maybe I would, but you'll have to leave when Scorpius comes over."

He looked at me. "Why? I don't mind your friends." Paula and I burst out laughing while Scorpius and Mina watched us with identical masks of confusion on their faces.

"What's so funny?" Mina asked.

Paula calmed down enough to whisper in Mina's ear, and Mina immediately said "EWW!" and got a disgusted face.

"So Mina, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I just want to have fun, but I also want to be prepared for after school. I'm trying to find a part-time job so that I can get some money saved up. I'm probably going to meet up with Paula a lot, too. And of course I want to spend time with Lysander."

"Hey, maybe all of us could go on triple dates!" Paula offered.

I noticed the guys looked a little uncomfortable. "Maybe a couple, but I think it would be a bit awkward with all of us on a date together. Maybe we could just get together as a group to hang out casually. And we can save the actual dates for one on one, you know?" I felt Scorpius relax, and Lorcan and Lysander shot me grateful looks.

"Fine" Paula faked a disappointed expression, but I knew she was fine with it. The six of us talked for a long time, and then I realized the hall was nearly empty. I was hoping to get in some alone time with Scorpius before we had to get packed to go home.

"Hey guys, Scorpius and I have to go. We have some last minute things to talk to Professor McGonagall about."

"Aww, okay. See you guys later," Paula replied and Mina waved.

I took my boyfriend's hand and we walked out of the hall and to the tree by the lake. We sat down and I leaned against his chest. He put his arm over my shoulders and we just sat there in silence watching the lake. We didn't really do or say much, just enjoyed being together. Eventually the sun began to set and I reluctantly got up, stretching.

"I guess we should go pack," I said sadly.

"I'm already done."

"Well of course you are. But I still have to throw all my stuff in a trunk."

"Okay, I'll walk you to the tower."

He took my hand and we began walking. We talked about any little thing that came to mind,and soon we arrived at Gryffindor tower. I kiss Scorpius goodbye and once he left, I turned to the fat lady and told her the password. The frame swung open and I stepped inside, and went up to my dormitory. Paula and Mina were waiting for me.

"So, what did you guys do all day?" Paula asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ew, nothing like that. We just sat out by the tree watching the lake. We saw the giant squid a couple times."

"Aww, that's so romantic. Except for the squid part." We laughed and I began throwing my stuff in my trunk. I noticed that the rest of the dorm was clean and all my stuff was piled neatly on my bed.

"Hey, did you guys do this for me?"

"Yeah, we figured you'd be back late so we helped you out. Also I didn't want you to accidentally pack my bra with your stuff because of your mad dash to pack again."

"Trust me, that only happens once."

"With you, you never know."

I finished packing and we went down to the feast. McGonagall gave her end of the year speech, the food was exceptionally good, and then we all went up to bed so that we could get up early to catch the train back to Kings Cross. It was time for my infamous end of term speech. I had made a tradition of doing this every year since I kne2 it annoyed my dorm mates so much. I stood up and faced the room. I cleared my throat.

All eyes turned to me, and there was a collective groan around the room.

"Really, Rose?"

"Please, not this again."

"Everyone shut up. I'm gonna do this whether you like it or not." I stared at them hard and coughed again. "Well guys, it's been a good year. I mean, yeah, I was kidnapped and tortured over winter break. But I've recovered, and so many good things have come out of that. Even the most close-minded of people can form new opinions, and I'd say a lot of people changed their opinions of other people."

"I'll say, Miss I'll-Never-Date-A-Malfoy-If-We're-The-Last-Two-People-On-Earth," said Alice Longbottom.

"Thanks you Alice. Yes, I was including my opinion of Scorpius in that. But I was also talking about any other changed opinions. Like how I used to think Ernie McLaggen was annoying but tolerable, and now I think he's a possessive jerk who really needs a life." I heard a few chuckles at that. "But my point is that over time people can change their minds, opinions aren't concrete, and first impressions can be misleading. I learned this lesson this year, along with (hopefully) my father and cousins. This year has been good in that I've learned a lot, and I've managed to get rid of a lot of my family's prejudice. I accomplished a lot this year, and I think everyone else should be proud of themselves, because so did all of you."

"Oh, yay. The speech is done, now can we get off the topic of how great your life is? Not everyone ended up with perfect marks, a supermegafoxyawesomehot boyfriend, and less family drama this year. Some of us aren't as lucky as you," Chastity Brown muttered through clenched teeth. I could see what she was getting at. In her eyes, I had stolen her "boyfriend", she had been getting nearly straight A's since winter holidays, and her mother had just had another nasty breakup with boyfriend number… I don't even know. But just because I understood her problems didn't mean I had to like her, or be sympathetic. This girl was a total bitch, I didn't care what her excuses were.

"Sorry Chastity, but I don't really care how much your life sucks. You've always been a pain in the arse, and frankly I think you deserve whatever shit you're going through right now. Maybe you'll learn from it. That was the point of my speech, you know. Not that my life is great, but that you can learn from your experiences in a way that can make a lot of your problems easier to work out. Pretty sure everyone else had enough brain cells to figure that out." Merlin that felt good. Chastity stared at me, speechless. I had never insulted her so directly before, usually it was just a snide comment here and there to shut her up long enough for me to escape. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to bed, before you manage to make me miss the train and possibly get detention before next year even begins." I yanked my curtains closed and lay in bed. Everyone else decided bed was a good idea as well, and the light was soon out. I fell asleep, dreaming of summer. No schoolwork, no secrets, and my grandma's cooking. In other words, heaven.

The next morning, we were all aboard the Hogwarts Express, heading home for the holidays. Paula, Mina, Lorcan, Lysander, Scorpius and I all sat together in a compartment. We talked about the past year, and the previous ones. Occasionally a cousin of mine would stop by, but they never stayed long. Suddenly the door to our compartment opened, but it was not one of my cousins. The Head Boy and Girl of last year entered our compartment and turned to face Scorpius and me.

"Excuse our intrusion, but we would like to speak to Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy in private," the Head Boy said haughtily.

"Uh, sure ok," I replied and I stood up, pulling Scorpius with me.

We walked out of the compartment and the Heads led us down the length of the train until we found a very small, empty space, probably the smallest compartment on the train. Once we were all inside, the Head Girl closed the door and they both turned to face us. The head Boy began to speak.

"As you know, we have been Heads this year, but we will not be around next year. As such it is our job, along with the Headmistress and Heads of House, to pass on our titles to the two students who we think will benefit the school in the most progressive way. We have discussed this and have come to the conclusion that you two will be the best students for the job. You will have a private Heads common room, and private bedrooms. However, this is a privilege that comes with the title and can be revoked if necessary, though if I may say it is very useful for late night work. You will have to work with the Headmistress to plan events and other such things. This takes a lot of responsibility, and we think you will be able to handle it very well. Normally the Heads do not know of their position until the letters arrive, but the Headmistress told us we might as well enlighten you. Congratulations, you will be next year's Heads." I couldn't believe it. Me? Head Girl? It was all I worked for my entire Hogwarts career, but I didn't think it would actually happen! This was so much to take in! I glanced at scorpius, and he had a shocked expression that I knew must have mirrored mine.

"Your badges will arrive in the mail later in the summer, along with a letter explaining the details of your duties," the Head Girl told us. The Ex-Heads then walked merrily out of the compartment, leaving Scorp and I to sit and think over everything.

"Scorpius, did you think this was going to happen?"

"No. Honestly when they came in I thought we were going to be chewed out."

"For what?"

"No idea. But _Head Boy_! This is amazing! I guess our competitions paid off."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

We walked back to our compartment and told everyone the news. The Scamanders clapped Scorpius on the back and I was met with excited squeals from Paula and Mina. We couldn't stop talking all the way to King's Cross, and when the train pulled to a stop, we were all surprised. That felt like the shortest train ride we've ever had. Scorpius helped me with my trunk and we set off onto the platform. I saw my cousins congregating around my huge family, but I stayed with Scorpius and my friends. Paula and Mina soon spotted their parents, and I hugged them before letting them go and promising we'd get together over the summer. Scorpius and I started toward my family, and the Scamander twins caught up with us since my mum and Aunt Ginny were talking to Aunt Luna (one of the few who isn't actually an aunt, but she's like family). As we got closer we could hear some of their conversation.

"… and when I got closer to the animal, I suspect it was a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, I noticed it was swatting at its head, probably trying to get rid of the wrackspurts, poor thing…" I had to work hard not to roll my eyes. Aunt Luna's really nice and everything, but she's a wacko.

My mum spotted me and ran over to give me a hug, and then she hugged Scorpius. Lorcan and Lysander went to their mum to discuss typical nargle activity or something. Scorpius spotted his father, so we walked over and stepped behind a pillar to say our goodbyes. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and responded wholeheartedly. We stayed like that for a long time. Finally, we broke apart.

"Well, I guess you should go," I said, though I really didn't want him to.

"Hey, it's not like it's forever. And we'll be able to get together over the summer probably, since our families know about us now and they're okay with it."

"Yeah, I never would have guessed that. This is all so strange, everything changed so much in one year. And now we're Heads!"

"I know, it's a little hard to believe. But I really should go, my father is going to start worrying."

"Yeah, I should go, too. Bye Scorp," I leaned up to kiss him quickly one more time. He stopped me.

"Wait, I forgot to give you this." He handed me a little hard square, similar to a Muggle white board.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"It's a two-way board. Like two-way parchment, but it lasts longer and you can erase it. Just write with your wand and whatever you write will appear on my board as well as yours. And if it gets too crowded, just tap your wand on each word you want to get rid of and it will disappear. I made them myself."

"Really? That's so cool! So I guess we have to leave now."

"I guess so."

"Bye."

"Yeah, bye Rose."

I kissed him quickly, then turned and left, stuffing the board into my pocket. As I walked back to my family, I thought of everything that had happened up to this point. Every fight, every competition, every kiss. It all made sense now. And now we were Heads. We were going to have our own dormitory next year. That _would_ be useful. We have a whole summer to enjoy ourselves, and we can talk whenever we want thanks to Scorp's two-way boards.

_Yep. Everything's finally working out. It's going to be a great summer._

**AN: How was it? I know it seemed more like an extra chapter than an epilogue, but I left a lot of things unanswered and I had to get those covered. Please give me some feedback, every review means a lot. **

**I'm SOOOOO sorry it took me this long to update. I had a lot going on, school ended but I still have swim team, my job, a play, and two sisters. Plus my computer got a virus and I had to work around that. And then I went to camp, where there's a strict "No Electronics except iPods" policy. So I'm really sorry, but I had a lot of good reasons other than just being lazy and not in a writing mood.**

**There might be a sequel, depending on if I get a good idea but right now I've got nothing. If you have an idea for a sequel, you can let me know in a review or a message and if it's good I might use it, and of course give you credit. Or if you want to write a sequel that's okay with me as well as long as you give me credit for this one.**

**I hope y'all liked my story, and please review!**


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